


The Princess and the Knight

by CartoonJessie



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Knight AU, Rumbelle - Freeform, Rumbelle AU - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-03-29 12:08:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3895744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonJessie/pseuds/CartoonJessie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She knew the Ogre Wars were about to start and that her hand would be given away to the bravest knight once this year’s Ogre Wars were over. Falling in love was the dumbest thing she could possibly do. But she feared it was already too late. She had fallen in love with Sir Rumplestiltskin. She only hoped that when the Ogre Wars came to an end, he would turn out to be the knight she was destined to marry. [COMPLETE]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

 

The reason why king Maurice of Navarre only held balls and other social gatherings in the warmer months of the year, was because ogres were most active in the colder ones. As soon as the temperature in the mountains dropped below freezing point, the Ogre Wars began anew, and the moment leaves appeared on the trees again, the wars would come to a halt as the ogres sought refuge in the mountains.  
It was like that every year, and every year knights from all the kingdoms in the Enchanted Forest travelled to the small kingdom of Navarre to work together and stop the ogres from taking over.  
But before the wars started once more, in the last warm weeks of the year, King Maurice would welcome all knights to his palace, to personally thank and motivate them for all their efforts. Hundreds of men swarmed the palace each year, knights and squires alike, and they would share tales and experience and discuss the best strategies to prevent the Ogres from taking over Navarre.  
But the numbers of the Ogres had been rising for decades, the battles had become harder, and more men than usual had been lost the year before. Prince James had been the most well-known casualty, and King Maurice knew that the men needed more encouragement than usual this year.  
Luckily for him, his daughter Belle had agreed to help out in any way she could, and he had suggested to give away her hand in marriage to the bravest knight in the kingdom.  
“If this is the way that I can save our kingdom and the rest of the Enchanted Forest, then I will promise my hand in marriage to the knight who is able to kill more ogres than anyone else,” she had agreed solemnly, though she had looked a little paler and sadder than usual.  
While each year many men fought to protect her kingdom, she had not had such an eventful life. She had spent all of her years within Navarre itself, and had only occasionally traveled to the nearby villages of her kingdom. She did not know how to fight and could serve no physical use in the war. She liked to read though and nearly devoured all reports that were brought from the frontlines to the castle, and even her father admitted that she was an expert when it came to remembering the tiniest details about the Ogre Wars for a period of over three hundred years – that was when the first books about the matter had been written.  
She seemed to be the only one to value those books, and so while the castle was overrun by so many men, she often found a hiding place in the library, where she could spend her days in peace, without needing to listen to the knights who liked to boast about their adventures, just to elicit a reaction of awe from the women listening. Though Belle loved stories, she preferred for them to be truthful, and many times she had noticed that the stories that the men told did not match up to the reports that came back from the front. Especially the knight Gaston – a native from Navarre – had a tendency to twist numbers or to remain rather vague about them. But because he spoke so loudly and passionately about those battles, nobody questioned him. Even those who had read the reports preferred to believe the heroic stories Gaston told them. Belle could not dismiss the truth so easily, and so she ignored it, for speaking up against it was not something that was accepted at her father’s court.  
As she sat in a comfortable armchair by the fire in the library one day, re-reading some old reports, she startled when she heard the door behind her open, and when she turned around to look at the intruder, she was rather surprised to notice it was a man – a knight – dressed in fine leathers and with one hand resting on the golden handle of his sword.  
He did not notice her straight away. Instead, he was looking at the dozens of bookcases around him, and at the massive ceiling above him, which was decorated with paintings of small angels hiding in the clouds.  
When the princess cleared her throat and he realized he was not alone, he noticed how she slowly approached him, her hands folded in the lap of her green dress, her curly hair loose as it framed her delicate face in such a lovely way that the knight was convinced that he was looking at another angel.  
As she tilted her head to the side in a curious manner, he suddenly bowed, holding one hand elegantly in front of his chest and the other behind his back, realizing who he was dealing with.  
“Your Royal Highness,” he said politely. “Please accept my apologies. I had no idea anyone was here.”  
She gently waved her hand as a sign that there was no need for an apology.  
“It’s completely alright, Sir…?”  
“Rumplestiltskin!” He bowed again as he said his name. “Sir Rumplestiltskin,” he repeated, knowing how many people didn’t get it right from the first try. Upon noticing that his name did not ring a bell, he explained: “It will be my very first time in the Ogre Wars. It is my first time in your lovely kingdom too.”  
Belle smiled as she looked at him, noticing that he was rather old – especially for one that had never come to the Ogre Wars before. She could not help but wonder why she had never heard his name before.  
“Well then, I must bid you a warm welcome and express our gratitude for offering your services to the war,” she continued formally, but she continued curiously: “Were you lost, Sir Rumplestiltskin?”  
“Oh no, your highness,” he replied, blushing slightly as he looked at her. “I wanted to read up on strategies.” For a moment the thought crossed his mind that this was a private library to the princess, and he asked: “Am I allowed in this room, your highness?”  
“Of course you are,” she replied with a warm smile, gesturing towards the armchairs in front of the fire. “Please, sir, do sit with me for a moment and tell me more. I might be able to help you find the knowledge you seek.”  
As she waited for him to join her by the fire, gesturing to the armchair, he walked past her, imagining for a moment that he smelled a faint vanilla perfume. It smelled wonderful, and he could not help but get distracted by how beautiful she was once more. She was tiny compared to him – and he wasn’t a particularly tall man himself. It was endearing.  
She also noticed that he wasn’t the tallest or buffest knight of them all. In fact, she was positive that he would look tiny next to other brave knights such as Gaston, Jefferson, Victor, Frederik and Philip. She hoped that whoever had sent him to fight in the Ogre Wars was not doing it to get rid of him, but because they truly believed in his potential.  
“May I ask which king sends you, Sir Rumplestiltskin?” she asked as she sat down on the armchair next to his, and once more she patiently folded her hands in her lap.  
He folded his hands as well, though it was clear that he could not keep them as still as she did, and he was unable to relax in his chair just yet. Though she was not the first princess he had ever met, she was by far the most beautiful one – and possibly also the kindest one. He had never before felt such an immediate attraction to a woman.  
“Certainly, Your Royal Highness! I serve…”  
“Belle,” she interrupted him.  
He stopped and stared at her for a moment, not sure what she meant.  
“Please do call me Belle – or princess – but not “Your Royal Highness” – it’s such a long title to hear a hundred times a day.”  
He was a little surprised by that, but quickly closed his mouth and nodded.  
“Certainly… Princess…”  
Seeing how she smiled gave him the courage to continue, and he said: “I serve all kings and queens of the Enchanted Forest.”  
That was a rather unusual answer, and noticing the princess’s confused look, he continued: “I was born in the Frontlands – but it was King George who advised me to fight here. He said a man with my skill could serve well in these wars. He lost his son last year, but said that if a man with my talents was present, many casualties might be avoided this year.”  
Though the words in itself seemed to be of the boasting kind, his tone was not. He was gentle – his voice hardly more than a whisper – and he still had a blush on his cheeks as he spoke to the princess.  
“May I ask what your talents are then, Sir Rumplestiltskin?”  
“Rumplestiltskin,” he corrected her, wondering if he was being too bold and quickly adding: “Or Sir…” His cheeks were a little red as he feared he was overstepping his boundaries, but he could not resist to add: “Address me however you like, Princess, but Sir Rumplestiltskin is such a long title to hear all day.”  
She smiled as he said that, finding it funny how his words mimicked her own, and she nodded.  
“Alright, Sir,” she said in an amused tone. “Please do tell me of your talents.”  
“Though I have not served under one king in my lifetime, I have travelled the Enchanted Forest in my journeys, and have fought many monsters and dangerous creatures in my years. When I was younger, I often traveled as a part of larger groups. Other knights allowed me to go hunting with them. First normal hunting parties when I was a teenage boy, later on more dangerous ones. We hunted bears, wolves, vampires and griffins – any creature that was a nuisance. I have joined arms with many knights and they taught me everything I know. During the past decade, I have spent many years fighting werewolves, several more fighting yetis in the mountains of Arendelle…”  
“That must have been cold,” Belle interrupted, her gaze compassionate as she tried to imagine the hardships he had suffered because of his calling.  
Surprised by her interest, he was only able to nod for a few moments, before he said: “It was very cold indeed, princess. But with the proper clothes it’s not too bad. It just makes fighting harder. I used a crossbow for most of the yetis I killed. I tend to adjust my strategy in such a way that I have the biggest advantage over the creatures I’m up against. I have never fought an ogre before and wanted to read up on their strengths and weaknesses.”  
“I can help you with that,” Belle suggested eagerly, sitting a little straighter as she looked forward to showing the new knight around the library and sharing her wisdom with him.  
When she spotted his slightly confused expression, she became rather self-conscious though, and she blushed and stumbled as she explained: “I-I know I’ve never seen or fought an actual ogre, but I’m an expert when it comes to the history of the Ogre Wars… I’ve read up about it a lot.”  
Noticing how awkward she looked as she explained that, Rumplestiltskin felt guilty for making her feel like she needed to explain how she could be of use to him. It was clear that she was often shoved to the sideline in this war, to endure and suffer quietly instead of making herself useful, and he understood how painful that could be.  
“Please, my princess, do continue,” he encouraged her. “I wish to learn everything that you know.”

 

The afternoon flew by after that. Belle taught him all she knew about ogres and discussed successful strategies with him. He asked for her input in what to wear during the Wars – and she was rather surprised to hear that he did not intend to wear iron armor – it was after all what most men preferred in war.  
“Sure, it might save my life when they are about to hit me, but it might also give away my position. It’s loud and squeaky, and they hear too well. Leather should be quieter and warmer, and because it is lighter I might be fast enough to dodge them should they set their eyes on me. Not just that, but leather is not reflective and helps me blend into nature a lot better than metal ever could. I am quite positive that leather would be the best armor to wear.”  
“And what would be your weapon of choice?” Belle wondered. “A crossbow, like with the yeti?”  
“Depends on the situation,” he admitted. “Though arrows could easily penetrate the ogre’s thick skin, it hardly hurts them more than the prick of a needle would hurt us. But, I believe that if I can dip the arrow heads in poison first, it should make it easier to defeat these ogres. The poison could paralyze them – or at least paralyze them partially – and then hand-to-hand combat should be able to finish the job. I suppose a longsword would be a must to fight them – or at least a regular-sized sword, but nothing smaller.”  
Belle loved listening to him as he thought out loud, and she found it exciting to behold someone who actually used his brain to win.  
As he noticed how she was staring at him, he gulped, wondering if he was leaving a good impression or not. Feeling a little curious about something he had picked up in the barracks on the east side of the castle, he suddenly asked: “Princess, is it true that you will give your hand in marriage to the knight who kills more ogres than anyone else?”  
He sounded a little breathless as he asked that, and Belle also held her breath as she replied:  
“Yes. Yes, it’s true.”  
There was no particular joy or pride in her tone as she admitted that, and she cast her eyes down, leaving Rumplestiltskin to wonder what she actually felt about that.  
“Was that… was that your own choice?” he wondered cautiously, afraid she might feel insulted about that question.  
She was quiet for a few moments, before she answered: “We all must play our part in these wars. I cannot fight ogres on the battlefield, but I can serve as a reward to the bravest knight.”  
He noticed how she still wasn’t looking at him, and how her hands were trembling now as they lay in her lap.  
“Perhaps I would rather marry for love than for duty, but you must also be in a position where you would rather be anywhere else but fighting ogres. You are very brave to protect the Enchanted Forest, and so I will be brave too. I only hope that the man I wed is one I can learn to love, and that he can love me in return.”  
He could not imagine how any man would be unable to love her. She was the most beautiful young woman he had ever beheld, and she was so intelligent and kind and helpful – eager to please, as it were. Even now she did not dare to speak the truth to him out of the fear that she would upset him. He realized that much about her.  
“A man that cannot love you is a fool,” he said gently, hoping to lift her spirits. “I am quite certain that most knights would treasure you as much as you deserve. And I hope that whoever wins your hand in marriage is to your liking and as handsome and intelligent as you are yourself.”  
His voice was hardly more than a whisper once more, and she looked up at him with a slightly incredulous gaze. His words were kind and meant the world to her. If only because he had acknowledged that she needed more than a pretty face or a strong man – she needed someone intelligent too – someone she clicked with – someone very much like Rumplestiltskin himself.  
Her heart skipped a beat as she realized this, and as she looked at him, she continued in one breath: “Will you come to the ball?”  
They stared at one another for a few moments, Belle’s gaze hopeful while Rumplestiltskin’s was confused. He had heard of the ball that would be held before the knights would leave the castle, but he had not planned to go there. After all, he had not imagined to want to dance to anyone. But now that he knew Belle, he secretly had to admit to himself that he very much would like to dance with her.  
Perhaps, if the Ogre wars would prove fatal to him, then at least he would have held the beautiful lady Belle in his arms at least once.  
“Yes,” he replied softly. “Yes, I will…”  
He noticed how the princess started blushing the moment he said that and could not help but wonder if it was truly because of him that the blood rose to her cheeks. Was she attracted to him like he was to her? Surely he had to be imagining that. Never before had any royal given him a second glance.  
“I look forward to it then,” she admitted shyly, offering him a smile that set his heart ablaze.  
As she got up from her seat, she continued: “I fear that I must leave you now, Sir Rumplestiltskin. I am expected by my father’s side.”  
He got up as well and in an instinct he held out his hand to her, surprised when she gently lay her hand in his, and feeling a little dizzy as he pressed a sweet kiss to the back of her hand. He was unable to miss how soft and warm her skin was, and once more picked up the vanilla scent he had smelled before.  
As his lips parted from the back of her hand, he looked up into her eyes, noticing how she seemed a little dazed – just like he felt dazed from the suddenness of their touch. She was blushing and her lips were slightly parted as their eyes met once more. His voice sent shivers down her spine.  
“Until next time, Princess Belle.”   
It took her a moment to snap out her reverie, but then she smiled and curtsied him gracefully before she turned and left him behind in the library. Each step felt heavier than the one before, and even if she was a stranger to love, she recognized it for what it was.  
Her heart ached to be closer to him once more, but her brain told her off for wanting such things. She knew the Ogre Wars were about to start and that her hand would be given away once this year’s Ogre Wars were over. Falling in love was the dumbest thing she could possibly do.  
But she feared it was already too late. She had fallen in love with Sir Rumplestiltskin. She only hoped that when the Ogre Wars came to an end, he would turn out to be the knight she was destined to marry.


	2. Ball

As winter neared the kingdom of Navarre, Belle feared the day that Sir Rumplestiltskin would leave the palace and head to the front. She saw him every now and then, sometimes when she was in the hallways of the higher floors, gazing out over the courtyard, where she’d see Rumplestiltskin take care of his horse – the palomino skin making it one of the prettiest horses Belle had ever seen. But even then she had to admit that she spent far more time gazing at the knight than his steed.  
She had ran into him a few more times in the library, and once they began talking, it was like they were unable to stop. Belle told him all about the great generals that had led the knights in the Ogre Wars, and about her own ancestors who had defended the Enchanted Forest, and Rumplestiltskin told her about the places he had been, and about the brave men who had taught him how to defend himself.   
The night before the ball, Mrs. Potts, Belle’s trusted servant, had to get her out of the library because she was missing dinner with her father. The elder woman had noticed the blush on the princess’s cheek and the awkward way in which the princess and the knight had bid each other a good evening. But at the same time she found it strange that Belle would fall for a knight as old as Sir Rumplestiltskin – especially considering the fact that there were many fine, younger specimen around Navarre these days.  
Before the ball began, Mrs. Potts noticed that Belle was actually excited. As she fixed her hair, the princess was even smiling and blushing and humming songs to herself. She looked absolutely stunning in her golden ball gown and could not wait to join the party.   
Though Belle was not the only young woman at the party, she was the most important one. Several other ladies had come to dance with the dozens of knights that had felt confident enough to demonstrate their dancing skills before the king of Navarre and his daughter. And all those knights turned their head when Belle entered the large ball room, and it wasn’t before long that the suitors were lining up for her – quite literally – standing next to each other as Belle danced with each of them, a slight look of disappointment on her face as she noticed Rumplestiltskin wasn’t present yet.   
But after the first three dances, he did appear, and unaware of the line of men that were waiting for the princess, he immediately stepped towards her once the song was over, glad to see her face light up as she saw him.   
She thanked Frederic as fast as she could and headed towards Rumplestiltskin, whose cheeks were a little more pink than usual as he took the princess’s hand and pressed a sweet kiss on it.   
“Apologies for my tardiness, princess,” he said softly. “I got stuck reading one of the reports you advised me to read and nearly forgot the time.”   
“You’re forgiven,” she replied sweetly. “I’m glad you’re here now. I was hoping to dance with you tonight.”  
As the notes to the next song began, Belle eagerly put one hand on his shoulder and held onto his hand with the other, which caused Rumplestiltskin to laugh a little awkwardly.   
“I must admit that I am far more experienced with fighting than I am with dancing,” he admitted sheepishly as he tried to lead her through the dance.   
“You’re doing marvelously,” she complimented him, glad to be in his arms at last, even if the song was not entirely to her liking. It was too fast. She would have preferred a slower song, like a waltz or mazurka.  
Not just that, but the song was over way too soon, and the disappointment could be seen on both of their faces.  
“Will you stay and wait for another dance?” she asked bravely, her knees trembling as she feared she was coming on too strong. “I must go and dance with some other knights now, but I would love to dance with you again.”  
“Anything for you, my princess,” he replied with a warm smile. “I will take a seat and wait for you.”  
And that he did. He watched hours go by, with the princess dancing with so many knights that he wondered if she wasn’t growing tired of it just yet. She talked to all of them - exchanging names and other pleasantries. Some of them were even worse dancers than he was. Others were very impressive dancers, and he was a little jealous when he noticed how they introduced Belle to new moves, and how they made her laugh because of it. He wished he was that impressive to dance with.  
He also watched her father every now and then. King Maurice was only a few years older than him, and as tall and wide as a bear. The fur trim on his coat did nothing to distance himself from that comparison.   
King Maurice seemed pleased with the amount of men that danced with his daughter, and he appreciated that Belle was in a good mood while she did so. But he also did not fail to notice that once the dance was over and the queue of knights had disappeared, Belle headed to Sir Rumplestiltskin, the only knight that she was granting a second dance, and this caused him to pay special attention to them.   
"It's a waltz," she announced a little out-of-breath, holding out her hand to Rumplestiltskin. He proudly took it and placed it on his shoulder before he started to lead her through the ballroom, his hand warm and confident as it rested on her back, making sure they wouldn't bump into anyone else.   
And though he did not try to impress Belle with any sudden moves, he was the most impressive dance partner of the evening to her, if only because of his gentleness and care as he guided her through the crowded ballroom. As the waltz turned into a mazurka, Rumplestiltskin hesitated for a moment: "Is the song over?"  
"It can count as one song," Belle suggested hopefully, blushing as she noticed his shy grin, and glad that he continued to dance with her.   
Her father had kept a careful eye on her and wasn't sure what he was witnessing, but as the mazurka came to an end he headed towards his daughter and her dance partner as they still held onto each other's hands while they spoke soft words to one another, and when he cleared his throat, Rumplestiltskin startled and quickly bowed, and Belle curtsied him as well.  
Several people had noticed the king make his way towards his daughter, and many people wondered what was going on precisely to have the king leave the company of his comrades and knights.   
"Father," the princess greeted him, a little confused that he would come to her now.  
"Your majesty," Rumplestiltskin said respectfully, waiting to be dismissed.   
"We haven't been formerly introduced yet, Sir Rumplestiltskin," King Maurice began, his voice loud enough to be heard by several of the men around him. "I read king George's letter of recommendation. He seems to believe in your talents on the battlefield and has described you as the most necessary addition to our army this season."  
"He is most kind," Rumplestiltskin humbly admitted. "His words do me great honor. I hope I can live up to them."  
"From what I can see," the king continued. "…my daughter would also like you to do just that."  
Belle's face turned as red as a tomato's as she realized what her father was talking about. It was humiliating, but she remained quiet as she endured it.   
Rumplestiltskin didn't know what to say, but his cheeks also turned red as he nervously looked at Belle, then at the King again.   
"You must have heard about the promise my daughter has made - to marry the knight who is able to slay more ogres than any of the others," king Maurice continued. "Do you intend to become that knight?"  
Rumplestiltskin gulped, not sure what to respond to that. It felt like a trap of some sort, but he could not remain quiet and let Belle suffer this humiliation.   
"It would be a great honor," he said honestly. "And I will fight my hardest - just as I would have done if you had not promised your daughter's hand in marriage to the bravest knight. The Enchanted Forest needs protecting from those that wish to harm it. I do hope that that is the priority that I share with my fellow soldiers."  
King Maurice narrowed his eyes a little. It was obvious from that answer that Sir Rumplestiltskin wasn't stupid - a good thing indeed, if he were to become his son-in-law and the next king of Navarre. But not a single ogre had been killed so far and there was a far greater chance that someone else would get the honor of marrying his daughter.   
"Well then," the King continued. "We wouldn't want to give anyone the idea that we have already decided who my daughter is to wed this coming spring. Best to avoid any attachments that could result in possible heartbreak."  
Tears stood in Belle's eyes as she listened to her father and she didn't dare to look at Sir Rumplestiltskin anymore. She wished that she was just angry with her father, but she realized he was right.  
Too ashamed of her own behavior and unwilling to speak up against her father, she felt like a fool now for having granted Sir Rumplestiltskin three dances and the other knights just one. Had more people noticed the affection she felt for Sir Rumplestiltskin? What impression would that leave on the other knights? And what if she could never marry Sir Rumplestiltskin, but would have to wed one of the other men?  
"I wish to apologize," she said softly, her voice thick with regret, her eyes still cast down as she knew they were already welling up with tears. Unable to spend more words on the suffocating feeling inside her chest, she said: "I'm sorry - forgive me." And she had hardly spoken those words or she turned around and hurried out through the nearest servant's corridor, leaving Rumplestiltskin with a horrible feeling inside his chest as he watched his beautiful princess exit the ballroom in such distress.  
As Maurice watched his daughter leave, all he said was: “She likes you, Sir Rumplestiltskin. Perhaps in another world it could have worked out, but unless you kill more ogres than any other knight this winter, she can never be yours.”  
Rumplestiltskin kept quiet for a few moments, letting those words sink in. It was truly depressing that she was so lovely and beautiful and so sweet with him, and so out of his reach at the same time. He wasn’t sure if her father actually enjoyed rubbing it in, or if he was just a cruelly honest man.   
Deciding to be honest as well, he said: “At least no one can ever take away my memories of dancing with the princess. I will cherish those forever.”   
The king narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what game Rumplestiltskin was playing, but the knight simply bowed and said: “Good night, your majesty.”  
As the knight left the ball room, he was aware of the eyes that were fixed on him, but he held his head high as he left the crowd.   
Yes, he had been scolded by the king – in some strange way – but he had also been the princess’s partner of choice for the evening. That was enough of a reason to walk taller than he usually did. He only hoped that the princess would not come to regret her choice and the wonderful dances they had shared together.


	3. Goodbyes

After he had left the ball, Rumplestiltskin had returned to the barracks in which all knights stayed, but he could not relax or go to bed. As it was dark, it was also growing colder now, and it seemed like the first frost was almost upon them. Once it froze, they would leave for the front in the morning, just as the ogres would do the same.   
Thinking of the sweet princess Belle and how she had left the ballroom in tears caused Rumplestiltskin’s heart to swell with sorrow. That lovely young woman, so sad because her heart went out to him – of all people.   
It wasn’t long before he found himself walking back to the palace, past the guards, but not heading towards the ballroom at all. Instead, he found himself headed to the library, hoping to find Belle there. He dared to hope that she had gone to seek comfort in a book, but as he stepped inside the library, it seemed eerily quiet.   
“Princess?” he asked softly – but no response came.   
Disappointed that he could not talk to her one last time, he felt his feet drag him through the corridors of the palace, aimlessly wandering around in the same castle that would be so deserted once all knights and squires had left for the front. His poor Belle would be so alone – worrying and withering away while many good men left their lives in the fight against the ogres.   
What a sad time to be living in, Rumplestiltskin thought to himself, and he paused in his steps when he heard someone sniffing, not much further down the corridor. Taking quiet steps to where the sound came from, his heart jumped when he noticed the princess sitting in an alcove, looking out of a stained glass window with tears in her eyes.   
“Princess,” he said softly, and though he did not mean to startle her, she jumped a little, looking at him in fright before she noticed who it was.   
She did not raise any walls as he approached her, and the misery on her face was clear to see for him.   
“Sir Rumplestiltskin,” she said softly with tears in her eyes, and he was glad that she allowed him to take her hands in his as he knelt down before her, watching her as she sat on a stone bench in the dark alcove, with nothing but the moonlight illuminating her delicate features.   
“My sweet princess,” he whispered, reaching out for her cheek to dry her tears.   
She leaned into his touch as he wiped the tears away, and though she stopped crying, it was clear that she was miserable.   
“You’re too kind,” she whispered as she put her hand on his while he dried her tears. “And I’m so sorry if I embarrassed you in the ball room.”   
He shook his head. “Don’t be,” he insisted gently, looking up at her. “You did not embarrass me. You honored me. You gave me great joy and I will treasure the memories of us dancing together for the rest of my life.”  
She smiled sadly and nodded.   
“As will I.”  
Realizing that they needed to discuss the unpleasant reality that awaited them, Rumplestiltskin cleared his throat a little.   
“I think we’re leaving for the front tomorrow,” he admitted sadly. “It seems like the first frost is upon us and it would be unwise to wait longer.”  
Belle nodded, her gaze more understanding than it was regretful. “I know,” she said softly. “I guess this is goodbye, huh?”  
He found it hard to acknowledge that, and instead he just looked at her, admiring her beauty and wisdom and gentleness and all those other characteristics he hoped he would never forget about her.   
Part of him wanted to tell her he would try to win her hand, that he would fight his hardest so that he could return and make her happy in the coming spring, but another part of him knew that the chance of him actually doing just that was slim. There were too many men at the front, most of them much younger than he was – and far more experienced with these ogres. Who was to say he would even survive this? Each year there were many knights that lost their lives. Why not him this year? He wished he didn’t have to put Belle through any heartache, but feared that whatever was headed their way would break both their hearts regardless.  
Belle on her part wanted to ask him to fight his hardest for her, to try and win her hand, but she did not want to encourage him to do risky things, just to get more ogres killed. She did not want him to focus on her – he needed to focus on the war at hand instead. He needed to survive, that was more important than anything else.   
As they held hands, she gently squeezed his. “Be careful, please,” she whispered. “I believe in you – that you can make a difference to this war – but please don’t rush into things because you feel you need to prove anything to me or my father.” Remembering the horrible way in which her father had confronted them earlier on, she also realized that Rumplestiltskin had to realize the full extent of her affection now. That meant that she could admit to those feelings now, and she continued: “Whether or not you kill more ogres than the rest, you are the man I would have chosen. And it might not mean anything once the spring comes and I am forced to marry someone else, but you are a wonderful man, and I do not want you to die on my behalf.”  
He listened with sadness in his heart, then held her hand a little higher and pressed a sweet kiss on its back.   
“Princess, you are the kindest soul I have ever met. I will be careful – as is your wish – and I can only hope that when the winter is over, I can return to you, to ask you for your hand – but I do realize that the chance of that happening is slim.” He cast his eyes down for a moment, but when he looked up again, he offered the princess a brave smile. “Whatever happens, I do wish for you to be happy.”  
Her lip trembled as she looked at him, and it only took her a moment to get off her seat to fly into his arms, throwing herself against him in a fierce hug.  
She could not imagine how she could ever be happy without him by her side, but she hoped that somehow they would be together again once the winter was over. Perhaps if she held onto hope, it would become a reality.  
He gently caressed her hair as she leaned her head against his chest, and wondered if destiny was being kind or cruel right now. What else could have been destiny’s intention by having him meet and fall in love with this beautiful young woman?  
As he once more inhaled the scent of vanilla in her hair, he smiled. He noticed how tightly her arms were wrapped around him, as though she was afraid he was going to leave her, and he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.   
“Do not worry, my princess,” he said softly. “We might not see each other for a while, but perhaps we could write to each other?”  
Belle’s face lit up at those words, and as she gazed up at him, she smiled.   
“I would love that,” she admitted with a lump in her throat. Tears came to her eyes as she imagined horrible ways in which he could die during his absence, but as they rolled down her cheeks, he was already wiping them away.   
“As would I,” he said softly. “I’m sure we could write every week. And in about twenty to thirty letters, I will return here. And when I do, I am certain that we will both be happy to see each other again – and perhaps winter can cool our affections for one another – and make it easier to face your marriage, if it should not be with me.”   
Belle gulped – still hating the idea of marrying another man – but she nodded, not wanting to make this goodbye harder on them than it needed to be. As she sniffed once more, he pulled his unused handkerchief out of the pocket of his leather vest, offering it to her.   
She looked up at him as she slowly took it from his hand, and he told her: “Keep it. To remember me by. A little something of me while I can’t be here.”  
Belle had never received such a token from anyone before, and she wondered if there was anything that she could give him in return. Unfortunately, she did not have a handkerchief at hand or anything else that would be appropriate to give him, and so she sighed softly.   
“I don’t have anything to give you in return…” Her voice sounded regretful, and as he lifted her chin so she could look at him, he kindly gazed into her eyes.   
“You’ve already given me so much of your knowledge. If I survive this winter, it will be because of what you taught me.”   
As he heard the midnight bells ring in the distance, he realized they could not remain there for much longer. It was only a matter of time before someone would find them in the alcove.   
He got up to his own two feet and held Belle’s hands as she did the same. She looked up at him with sadness and hope at the same time, and he was not sure what she wanted him to do. He would never steal a kiss from her – not as long as she was to be wed to another man, but he did once more raise her hand to his lips and pressed the firmest kiss ever on her skin. He truly did not want to let her go, but he knew that he had to.   
“Goodbye, sweet princess,” he sighed softly.  
Realizing that words would only inflict more pain on their bruised hearts, Belle nodded bravely and replied: “Goodbye, brave knight…”  
They shared one last smile before Rumplestiltskin turned around and walked away, his heart heavy at the thought of not seeing her beautiful smile again for a very long time.   
He slept badly that night, and when morning came, he was the last to get up from his bed, feeling groggy from the lack of sleep. A squire handed him some breakfast, but he ate very little, and he followed the other knights to the stables as they saddled up and headed to the courtyard of the royal palace one final time, to parade in front of the king before they would risk their lives in the Ogre Wars.   
As he entered the courtyard on the back of his steed, he was surprised when an elder woman stepped in front of the horse and forced him to stop.   
“Sir Rumplestiltskin,” she said, waving a handkerchief at him, and Rumplestiltskin frowned, not sure where he knew this woman from and why she was giving him any attention.   
As she walked towards him and offered him the handkerchief, he honestly wondered who she was, and as she introduced herself, things became a little clearer.   
“My name is Mrs. Potts. I serve the princess and she wanted me to hand you this.”  
Finally taking the handkerchief, he noticed the roses that were embroidered on it, and he brought the gift to his nose, smelling that familiar vanilla scent that he loved so much.   
“Please thank her for this gift,” he said with a warm smile. “And thank you for your troubles to bring it to me.”   
Mrs. Potts huffed – apparently not very impressed with the man that had stolen the princess’s heart, and it seemed like it hadn’t been her idea at all to bring such a token to the knight. As she turned around and headed towards the stage where the nobles were, Rumplestiltskin smiled.   
As he joined the other knights in the parade, he saw how they all rode in a circle in the courtyard before they left again – all of them bowing their heads as they passed a wooden stage on which several important men were gathered – the king and several of his advisors, but also princess Belle, her smile brave but her shoulders tense as she nodded to each of the knights that said their last goodbyes to them.   
As Rumplestiltskin neared them, his grip tightened on the handkerchief he had been given, and when he was finally in front of the stage, the eyes of the king on him as well as Belle’s, he raised his hand, allowing Belle to catch a glimpse of the gift he had received from her servant, and as she smiled sadly, he smiled sadly in return, bowing once more before he rode on, not daring to look back at the princess.   
Tears stood in his eyes as he passed the gates of the castle and followed the other knights to the front. He smelled the handkerchief once more before he tucked it away in his pocket and he prayed to the gods that he would be blessed enough to return to the palace one day, and perhaps be the lucky one to marry the princess.


	4. War

Belle waited for the first letter of Rumplestiltskin to arrive from the front, often staring at the simple handkerchief he had given her while she did so. A beautiful letter R was embroidered in one corner, and she often let her fingers trace over it, trying to remember as much about him as she could. She remembered the shy way in which he had often smiled at her – or the gentle way in which he had led her across the dance floor – or each little kiss he had pressed on the back of her hand. She treasured each and every memory and though she had never been the praying kind, she now prayed to all the gods in the Enchanted Forest for his safe return.  
It was with a heavy heart that she read the reports that came in from the front. Other years, she had done so quite eagerly, and she had devoured the reports as fast as she could. But now she was afraid to read the names of any casualties – afraid Rumplestiltskin’s name would be among them.   
So far though, the war had been going well. The ogres had started descending the mountains, but as was each year the case, they never did so all at once. That made it rather easy to defend during the first weeks, as the groups of ogres had been rather small and bows and arrows were enough to kill the ogres that could be spotted from the barracks that were set up along the border of Navarre.   
Several ogres had been killed so far, but since these were joint efforts, no one seemed to take specific credit for those. Belle had not seen a list of ogre kills, as she expected them to tally this year, just so they would know who deserved her hand the most.   
The first week was almost over when she received the first letter from Rumplestiltskin, and Mrs. Potts had handed her the letter with pursed lips, not entirely approving of her correspondence with one of the knights, but not really speaking up about it either.   
Belle was fast to open the letter, and was glad to see how long the letter was. It was a wonderful gift to a young woman as bored as she was, and she took the letter with her to the same alcove where she had last talked to Rumplestiltskin, finding it their sacred little place and the perfect spot to read about his adventures at the front.   
She read about the strong knights and squires at the front, of their small, cold rooms in the barracks and the brave men with disabilities from previous wars that prepared their meals.  
He also wrote to her about two knights he had befriended – Jefferson and Victor. They shared a room and he seemed to hold them in high regard because of their unconventional fighting skills. Victor Frankenstein actually was no native to the Enchanted Forest, but had ended up there due to a series of unfortunate circumstances. Rumplestiltskin believed that Jefferson had been part of those circumstances, though Jefferson kept very quiet about it and did not like it when Victor brought up his ‘hat’, saying that there was no need to rub salt in those wounds.  
“It is my belief that Jefferson used to be the man known as ‘the Mad Hatter’. Have you ever heard the rumors about this man? He used to travel from world to world, often in service of kings and queens that wanted him to steal for them. He was the only one crazy enough to do it, and I suppose that is why they called him ‘mad’. The ‘hatter’ part comes from the legendary hat which he is said to have owned, a hat that was capable of travel between worlds. Let me tell you why I believe Jefferson is in fact the Mad Hatter: Victor often refers to him as ‘mad’, which annoys Jefferson so much that he almost turns violent because of it. Last night, Victor wanted to tell me how he ended up in the Enchanted Forest, and he said that Jefferson came to him with his hat – and this is where Jefferson got upset that he was talking about that and asked him to shut up. The story ended there, but that makes it even more suspicious, doesn’t it? I’ve heard enough rumors to figure out what happened next. Victor probably travelled back to the Enchanted Forest in Jefferson’s company. And he never returned to his own world. Though I am not sure whether they are actually friends to one another, it is clear that there is trust and respect there at the same time. And most importantly: they know how to fight as a team, and they are just as eager to discover new ways of fighting ogres as I am. We were discussing strategies the other day, when I discovered that Victor is actually an expert when it comes to poisons. Now, Jefferson has used his connections in all kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest to ask for poisonous plants to be sent to us at the front. I am quite certain this will help us tremendously in a few weeks’ time, when we will be able to modify our arrows with these poisons.”  
He kept remarkably still about the ogres he had already faced, and that was what Belle was most curious about. So when she wrote back to him, she asked him rather directly to share everything he had experienced while fighting the ogres and she also told him how quite it was at the castle, with most knights gone, and how she spent most of her time reading and praying for everyone’s safe return. She did not mention that she prayed for his safe return more than for the others.  
Rumplestiltskin kept on sending her updates about the front and when he announced that they had been able to take down fifteen ogres without any casualties on their behalf thanks to Victor’s poisonous arrows, she truly began to believe that perhaps he would be able to win her hand after all. But those kills were shared with other knights, and it did not mean that other knights were not beginning to use the same techniques as they were.  
When Belle learned that Sir Gaston had fifteen dead ogres behind his name already, she started to feel incredibly anxious. Rumplestiltskin shared the kills – Gaston seemed to take full credit for them himself. She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but could only reason that Gaston had picked a better spot to fight the war. He guarded another part of the border, and perhaps he just ran into more ogres where he was.   
She did not dare to tell Rumplestiltskin of this, afraid it would upset him and push him to do something radical and dangerous. But even if she did not tell him this, he learned of it himself, and he honestly tried to fight his hardest in order to defeat the man’s record. Perhaps if it had been any other soldier, like Jefferson or Victor, he would not have been so bothered by it, but he was convinced that Gaston was the worst possible man to marry Belle. He had to stop that wedding from happening, one way or another.   
While Mrs. Potts knew about the correspondence between Belle and Rumplestiltskin, she wasn’t the only one that was learning of the way those two relied on each other’s letters to keep their sanity. Jefferson and Victor also noticed Sir Rumplestiltskin’s writing, and on a moment that he was out of their room, they checked up on the letters Rumplestiltskin hid beneath his mattress. They were shocked to find out they were from the princess, to say the least, and did not immediately confront Rumplestiltskin about it.   
They watched and beheld him instead, and they both came to the conclusion that he was madly in love with the princess. Luckily they were clever enough to keep their mouths shut about that, knowing how other knights would find it offensive to find out that he had been keeping a correspondence with the princess, while they were all fighting for her hand.   
Two months further into the war, King Maurice visited the front as well, to encourage the men in a time where the fights were getting hardest. It was freezing cold and when it snowed they could hardly see three feet in front of their eyes, and in the meanwhile more and more ogres descended from the mountains, taking several soldiers by surprise and leaving more casualties with each passing night.   
While the amount of casualties had been rather limited, this was when more casualties started being reported, and as Belle sat alone in the council chamber of the castle, reading over those reports, she felt incredibly anxious, afraid to read Rumplestiltskin’s name. Luckily, his name escaped those reports for now, but she was shocked to read Victor Frankenstein’s name as one of the casualties. He wasn’t dead – but he was in a pretty bad shape – and apparently he had been asleep for several days already, as he had taken a heavy blow to the head.   
When Rumplestiltskin wrote to Belle about this, he tried to sound optimistic and he also tried to blame it on carelessness on Frankenstein’s behalf, but that was just a way of trying to have her believe that he was still safe – even if the opposite was true.   
The war was becoming more aggressive, and there had been a few battles in the snow that Rumplestiltskin would rather forget. He had seen ogres tear the limbs of fellow soldiers, or crush their skulls in their hands, scenes where the snow had been colored red in the darkness, and there had been nights when he had been covered in ogre’s blood as he had fallen asleep, his arms and shoulders sore from swinging his longsword at their legs in order to cripple them.   
King Maurice did see Rumplestiltskin’s bravery though, and one morning, he patted the man on the back.   
“You are truly a blessing to this army,” the king said honestly. “Whether or not you are fighting for my daughter’s hand, you would be deserving of her. Your dedication to this war is admirable and I wish we had more men like you.”  
The King said no more than that, and all Rumplestiltskin could reply with was a brief ‘thank you’ before the king joined his councilmen in his tent. The knight could not help but wonder how many men he had said this to in these desperate times. Perhaps he was only doing it to motivate him – just as he did with all the other men.  
“The amount of ogres we are facing is truly incredible,” he wrote to Belle one day. “I really cannot comprehend how it’s possible that we have killed hundreds of ogres already this war – and this is done each year – and still more and more keep on coming from the mountains. Where do they even come from? When does it end? How do they multiply so quickly? Especially considering the fact all these ogres seem male.”  
Perhaps Belle would have been amused by those words if she wasn’t just as worried as he was. She had wondered most of her life where those ogres kept on coming from. While dragons were going extinct and unicorns and griffins were more endangered every year, the number of ogres didn’t seem to diminish at all.   
“Not to mention the fact that it is strange that so many ogres would try to break through our defenses, but for what? So alright, they like the taste of human flesh, but do they not realize how they are dying in massive numbers? Is a taste of human flesh really that important to them? Each time I face them, I wonder what motivates them and all I can think of is that they have an insatiable blood lust, at least when it comes to the blood of men.”   
The majority of their letters to one another discussed the ogre wars, but every now and then Belle told him about a book she had read, or shared a bit of poetry with him or just told him about her days in the nearly empty castle. No matter what she wrote to him, he treasured every word, and so did she.   
As many more weeks passed, she learned how Victor had made a decent recovery, and how he was fighting alongside them again, even if it meant he had to face his greatest fears once more. Rumplestiltskin wrote of how brave Victor seemed to him, to face the monsters that nearly killed him, the same ones that haunted his nightmares, and how strong of will he was to keep on fighting alongside them when he could have been dismissed for the year if he had expressed any desire to do so after that heavy blow.   
He was awaiting Belle’s response on a morning after a particularly bloody battle. While he sat by the gate to the barracks, he saw the running boy that delivered all messages from the palace arrive and walk past him without handing him anything. This confused him, but he did not dare to call for the boy, wondering why the child had looked so pale. As he saw the boy disappear in the king’s tent, he waited for a few moments, wondering if Belle was sick or if the boy had simply forgotten to take Belle’s letter with him. Either way, it disappointed him for he knew it would take another few days before he’d hear from Belle then, and he wondered if he should write her a small letter regardless.   
He had returned to his room, where Victor was sleeping while Jefferson was reading, and he had just dipped his feather in an inkwell when he heard the trumpets come from outside in the hall. Victor startled as he woke, and Jefferson and Rumplestiltskin shared a confused gaze with one another before they rushed out of the room, following the other knights in the hallway as they headed towards the courtyard to listen to the news.   
No other than the king himself would address them, and as he stood on the stage, waiting for everyone to gather, Rumplestiltskin noticed how the man looked incredibly pale. Suddenly he feared that something had happened to Belle – and that this was why he had not received a letter, and why the king was looking so dreadful now.   
When everyone was silent, the king finally broke the bad news.  
“The princess was kidnapped two nights ago…” As some of the men looked startled because of that news and others began whispering to one another, the king took a note from his pocket and showed it to the knights – even if it was too small for them to read. “They demand a ransom before they will return her to us.” King Maurice sounded agitated more than anything else. “They know fully well that we are in the middle of a war and that we are in no position to send a small army of knights to look for them. They believe they are safe from our wrath and vengeance – and I fear that I must agree with them. The only thing we can do, is to pay this ransom now to make sure Belle is safely returned to us. I will not sacrifice your safety in this war by asking you all to find my daughter. I am looking for a single volunteer to get this ransom to these thieves and to bring my daughter back to me.”  
The soldiers were quiet for a moment as they considered it. Several of them immediately realized that this mission would not be as cold and lethal as going up against the ogres, but at the same time they were afraid of the unknown and of undertaking this mission alone while they knew nothing of these thieves. Who said they would not kill the messenger that brought them the money?  
“I will do it!” Rumplestiltskin stepped closer towards the stage, his hand wrapped around the handle of his sword and his head held high, anger boiling within at the thought of his princess being stolen from the safety of her castle. “I will get the princess back!”  
As King Maurice looked at the knight, he seemed a little confused.  
“Sir Rumplestiltskin,” the King acknowledged. “From what I have heard, you might win Belle’s hand when the war is over. Apparently you are in the top three of ogre slayers. Leaving the war now, will set you back on your quest to win my daughter’s hand.”  
Those words only agitated Rumplestiltskin even more. He did not want to imagine what horrors Belle was living through and all he could think of was getting her home again – safe and sound – whether he married her or not wasn’t what mattered now.   
“There might not be a hand of her to win if we do not act quickly,” he bit back, his voice rising over the crowd. “I will go and pay the ransom – and I will remember the faces of the men who took her and I will keep her safe. And then I will come back to this war and fight on, and when these ogres retreat back to the mountains this spring, I am taking all the knights with me who agree that this is an act of cowardice that should be punished – and we will make sure that those thieves get what they deserve!”  
Many men cheered, clearly agreeing with these tactics, even while Rumplestiltskin stood there seething in rage. The King nodded briefly as he looked at the knight through narrowed eyes.   
“Then I trust you to rescue my daughter, Sir Rumplestiltskin,” he said briefly, looking a little disappointed about the man’s choice. “Come, and I will give you all the information you need to undertake this mission.”


	5. Ransom

Rumplestiltskin left the front about three hours later, after having received a briefing about Belle's situation. The King and no less than six of his advisers had been present. Apparently two bandits had been able to overtake six guards on their way to Belle's chambers. Three men had died from their injuries, the others had been severely wounded and were not expected to return to their posts before the end of the winter. The two bandits had used crossbows and swords as their weapons of choice, and in Belle's room they had found not only the princess, but also Mrs. Potts, who they had tied up without too much respect for her age. As the old and faithful servant had screamed at the knights, they had left the ransom note in front of her feet. Half an hour later, Mrs. Potts had been found by some guards.  
By then, the princess was long gone.   
The note asked for a single man to be sent to pay off the ransom and to pick up the princess. And so a coffer with gold and other valuables was given to Rumplestiltskin and strapped to his steed, and he was given another horse so Belle could have her own horse on the way back. That horse not only carried food to make sure the princess would have it well, but also blankets and small bedrolls for the journey back – should they be unable to take refuge in a village.   
To be recognizable as a knight, the king insisted that Rumplestiltskin wore the finest armor he owned. It would not make a battle any easier, but it would protect him from arrows and it would make it seem as they truly were willing to make the deal, and that was all that mattered.  
The exchange would take place at night - not an unusual request, since that would mean the thieves would be more likely to get away with it unrecognized. It also meant that Rumplestiltskin had a little less than forty hours to make it to the rendez-vous point, several miles away from the border with Navarre, in King George's kingdom, on a stone bridge in the middle of the forest.   
He had crossed that bridge several times on his journeys, and so he rushed through the lands, the snowy landscape slowly disappearing as it made way for empty meadows and thick forests. Though it wasn’t snowy everywhere, it was still freezing, especially at night.   
He hoped Belle was alright – that she was warm and comfortable and that the bandits had not hurt her. He feared for the opposite though, and this instigated him to rush ahead in his travels, not stopping for anything or anyone.   
He hardly slept during the night, but he needed to stop to let the horses rest, and in the morning he drove on like a madman, arriving early in the forest where he would meet the thieves. He knew of some caves near the river that ran underneath the bridge, and he decided to make camp there and rest a bit until the rendezvous time arrived.   
He unpacked the horses and hid them in the caves as well. It was not his first time in the dark caves, though he wasn’t sure if he had been in those specific ones before – they all looked so much alike and most of them showed signs that people had used them for shelter for hundreds of years. He could hear the water of the streaming river outside as he lit a torch someone had abandoned and explored the cave some more. As usual, there was some dry wood near a fire pit, and though he did not light the fire yet, he made a mental note to go outside to gather more wood later on. The way he figured it, Belle might not be in the best shape. She had been taken a few days earlier, and it wasn’t sure if she had been fed properly or if she had had any decent sleep. He hoped she had been treated kindly, but he wasn’t going to assume that everything was going to be alright. He needed to make sure that she felt safe for the night, and so he continued preparing the cave for her arrival. He put down the bedrolls with the blankets on top of them – intending to get some sleep this night – and he gathered some herbs outside so he could make her some tea later on. With a few hours left to kill, he wondered if he should go hunting or if he should explore the caves some more. There were caverns deeper in the cave, and with the torch in his hand, he walked down one, surprised to find several small pools in these caves, leading further down into the earth.   
Noticing some mist around him, he wondered why there would be any mist at all – the air was very cold and it seemed a strange notion that the water would be warmer, but to his surprise it seemed like some of the pools were actually warm-water pools, some so hot that Rumplestiltskin feared he would burn his fingers off, others just the right temperature. He could hardly believe his luck and washed his hands and face before he returned to the cave near the entrance. He combed his hair, hoping to make a good impression on Belle – and fully realizing how vain he had to be for thinking she would even notice him after having endured such a trauma.   
When darkness finally fell, he had still kept the fire out, just to be safe for now. He did not know how the bandits would travel to the bridge, and considering that they might travel by these caves, he did not want to pull any attention to his hideout at this point. So there was no fire and he was rather cold as he waited, glad the horses were quiet as they rested inside.  
By midnight, he left his own horse behind in the cave – realizing that he had exhausted the poor creature by riding him for the past two days – and instead he took Belle’s horse and the small chest of money he had to offer in exchange for her. He carried his sword with him – as always – but he knew that it was risky at the same time. The thieves had used a crossbow before, and if they decided to use it on him, then no sword and not even his heavy golden armor could save him forever.  
As he arrived at the bridge, he saw that someone had lit the torches that were attached to its stone walls, and in the middle of the bridge stood a single man, his hood up and his sword in hand.   
Rumplestiltskin gulped as he approached the bridge, and as the horse whinnied, the hooded man looked up, though it was too dark for Rumplestiltskin to see a face. He was slightly alarmed that he did not see Belle anywhere, but he could not turn back now. He needed to know where she was, what they wanted. Perhaps they only wanted to see the money before they handed her over. Whatever their reasoning was, Rumplestiltskin tried to keep his cool as he rode onto the bridge, then jumped off the horse as he approached the bandit.  
“Good evening, sir knight,” the bandit said in a charming tone, his voice warm, but according to Rumplestiltskin also capable of deceit. He was not going to let his guard down.  
“Good evening,” Rumplestiltskin replied. “I am sent by king Maurice. I assume you know why?”  
“To exchange gold for the princess,” the thief replied. “At least, that is what I hope. But my men watched you arrive and according to them you were alone, so I trust you have no tricks in mind. At this very moment, dozens of arrows are pointed at your shiny armor. Are you willing to try out if your armor is arrow-proof?”   
Rumplestiltskin raised his hands, showing the man his empty palms.   
“I have no intention of fooling you or getting killed. I would like to bring the princess home again, other than that I hope that this exchange will occur swiftly and pleasantly.”  
The bandit grinned and pointed to the horse.   
“I see you have a small chest strapped to that creature’s back. I assume that is where you keep the treasure?”  
“It is,” Rumplestiltskin replied honestly, and he did not stop the thief as he took the horse’s reigns and led the horse to his side of the bridge.  
Rumplestiltskin narrowed his eyes, realizing that the man had no intention of returning the horse to him, but he kept quiet for now as he watched the man open the chest and look inside, finding the gold and jewels he had requested.   
“Is it exactly what you asked for?” Rumplestiltskin asked, getting a little anxious as he realized the man had his horse and his gold, and he had yet to see princess Belle.   
“It is,” the man replied, and as he suddenly held his hand high in the air, Rumplestiltskin feared for a moment it was a signal to kill him, but nothing of the sort happened and he saw several figures head out of the forest towards the bridge.  
“Do not fear,” the bandit said. “We may be thieves, but we are also honorable men. We did not harm your princess.”  
As Rumplestiltskin watched half a dozen people step towards them, Belle was the first person he recognized. She was still wearing her white nightgown – the thin fabric flowing behind her as two men held her arms and guided her to where he was waiting for her. She wasn’t even wearing any shoes, and he could only wonder if she was sick already.  
She was blindfolded and the closer she got, the more obvious it became that she was shivering all over. She was freezing in the coldness of the night, and though he found it hard to tear his eyes from her, he reminded himself to look at the thieves instead. Unfortunately for him, they were all hooded as well and there was not a face there to remember – nothing to distinguish them from anyone he would ever cross on his path in the future.  
“As promised,” the leader said as the men held still behind him, but they were still holding onto the princess and so the deal was not done yet.   
“Are you hurt, Princess?” Rumplestiltskin asked, his voice a little hoarse from the emotion of seeing her like this, and he hoped the bandits did not pick up on that.   
Her head shot up as she recognized his voice, and he could see her mouth drop. “Rumple? Is that you?”  
She tried to break free from the men that held her to go to her knight, but they did not loosen their grip on her.   
“It is,” he replied solemnly, his heart beating fast as he had noticed how she had called him ‘Rumple’ – it was more than he could have hoped for. He also hoped that she would not try and force herself from her captors’ arms, it would not work, and so he tried to distract her: “Are you alright?”  
“I am,” she replied quickly, holding still for now. She was freezing and hungry though, but that was not what Rumplestiltskin needed to worry about for now, and so she kept that to herself.   
Rumplestiltskin looked at the leader again. “Are we done then?” he asked. “Will you hand her over to me, as promised?”  
He did not like the silence that followed his question, and as another man approached the leader and whispered something in his ear, Rumplestiltskin could not help but fear that things were going to go wrong. He only hoped that he would be able to protect Belle and keep her safe, but she wasn’t even wearing anything more than her nightgown. Any weapon that hit her, would hurt her.   
As the leader listened to his advisor, he nodded before he turned to Rumplestiltskin again.   
“Your armor,” he began. “It looks expensive. Hand it to us and we will hand you the princess.”   
Rumplestiltskin gulped. He was in no position to bargain for it, and the armor held no personal value to him, but it was annoying that they weren’t keeping their promises. He had already given up the horse without complaint.   
“You may have it,” he replied. “But I am keeping my sword.”   
“Fair enough,” the leader said. “Though I noticed the handle first thing as you stopped in front of me. Quite an expensive sword. Would you be willing to trade it for another?”  
“No,” he grunted stubbornly in reply as he undid the laces that tied his left pauldron to the cuirass. He wasn’t very fast undoing his armor – usually he had the aid of a squire or a fellow knight for that. “This sword is the one I have used to fight in the Ogre Wars this year. You must know as well as I do that it takes time to get used to a sword – time I do not have since I intend to return to the front the moment the princess is safe.”  
“A noble enough reason,” the thief admitted. “We shall not take your sword from you.”  
“Thank you,” Rumplestiltskin muttered as he tried to shrug off the metal sleeve of his armor, and seeing how he was struggling with it, the leader of the thieves headed to the princess and took off her blindfold.   
“Go and help your knight,” he said softly. “You will freeze to death if you need to wait for him to finish.”   
He cut the rope that had held her hands bound together, and Belle used her hands to rub through her eyes, feeling a bit of relief that she was finally allowed to walk on her own again, and that she was able to see once more. She headed towards Rumplestiltskin with a heavy feeling in her heart, a feeling that almost slowed her down as she realized that he was the man she loved, and that she would not be alright if he were to die in this attempt to save her.   
As she brought her trembling hands to his, while he fumbled with the leather laces, she undid the knots that held his armor together as quickly as her frozen fingers allowed, and she noticed a hopeful gaze in his expression which she shared with him. Unfortunately, he quickly averted his eyes as he realized they hadn’t parted ways with the bandits yet.   
“If I may ask,” Rumplestiltskin continued bravely as he tried to distract the knights from what could have been an intimate moment between him and his lady. “If you are men of honor, why do you not help us fight in the Ogre Wars? It is purely out of interest that I wonder this, of course. You must have a valid reason.”   
He noticed how some of the men shifted uneasily on their feet because of that question, but the leader was quick to reply.   
“We are not from Navarre, and not from a very honorable kingdom. We could take up the arms for our king and die instead of the corrupt knights that haunt our villages. But we refuse to take their places. While we are outlaws, we cannot fight for our king and we cannot fill his quota – which means that by staying out of the war, we are staying alive while the enemies within our borders are dying.”  
Rumplestiltskin frowned, wondering where these men came from then. He had no idea what place had such a history and wondered if he would even know its name.  
“May I ask where you are from?” he asked politely.  
“So that you can send a bunch of knights to look for us once the Ogre Wars are over?” the leader said. “I think not. We will protect ourselves and our families.”  
“And this money you now received…” Rumplestiltskin added slowly.  
“…to survive the winter while our king punishes us with heavy taxes. Trust me, it will keep many women and children alive. It will not serve further corrupt purposes. We knew Princess Belle would not be heavily protected with this war going on, and that is the only reason we chose her – to minimize the casualties and maximize the profit.”  
Rumpelstiltskin frowned. Though he wanted to believe what he heard, he also knew that Belle was freezing besides him, her nightgown barely enough to keep her warm, and that three men were dead.   
“One question though – why did you kill those three guards?”  
“We were not aiming to kill,” another man suddenly spoke up, the same one that had whispered in the leader’s ear earlier on. Rumplestiltskin realized that he had kidnapped Belle then, apparently together with the leader. “But they hardly left us a choice. We needed to hurry up and get the princess before reinforcements could arrive, so yes, we fought our hardest. It was in no way a personal vendetta and we do apologize for this.”   
Rumplestiltskin frowned, not sure on how to reply and he thought about it for a moment, letting Belle take his heavy armor off his shoulders, but he immediately took it from her before she could put it down and walked towards the leader of the group, handing him the cuirass.   
“Look… Three men died – which means that three men will be released from the front and sent to the castle of Navarre to guard the princess… Which means that the Ogres will have it a bit easier again at the front. We are trying our best to keep them out of the Enchanted Forest, but we do not know how to keep this up forever. What I’m saying is… help us. If you are truly men of honor, then come to the front. Fight to keep the Enchanted Forest safe, and then perhaps, when spring comes again, we can talk about your country – about your women and children – and see if there is no safer place for them to live, far from your enemies.”  
The leader kept quiet for a moment, then said: “Don’t you have the intention of hunting us down when spring comes, to make us suffer for taking your princess?”  
Hesitating for a moment, Rumplestiltskin eventually replied: “That was the plan – back when I thought you men had no honor. But it seems to me like you do. Now prove it to me. Come to the front. You will get food, weapons… even pay for all your efforts. You could send the money to your family.”  
There hung a silence in the air that only proved to Rumplestiltskin that they were listening, but it was the thief who had admitted earlier on that they had killed the three guards who finally spoke up, laughing at those words. “The moment we arrive at the front, you’ll kill us! Saves you the trouble of looking for us in the spring, if you survive that long!”  
Though the man laughed, others were silent, and Rumplestiltskin felt annoyed.   
“By coming to the front, you will be risking your life already. I would not kill you myself when we can use good fighters in the war. It’s a chance to redeem yourself, to pay back the Enchanted Forest for taking the lives of those three innocent guards. They were good men, and I hope that you are as well.”   
He took off his cloak and wrapped it around Belle’s shoulders as he said that, and she looked up at him in gratitude, wondering if they were allowed to go now that Rumplestiltskin no longer wore his metal armor and they had everything they had asked for.  
“We will not forget your words,” the leader said, and as he extended his hand, Rumplestiltskin took it, the firm grip of the man proving that he had been listening. “May I ask for your name, Sir?”  
“Sir Rumplestiltskin,” he replied reluctantly, knowing that the man would not give him his name in return.   
“Sir Rumplestiltskin,” the thief repeated. “I will remember your name. I hope we will hear many great tales of you from the war.”  
“I hope that they will tell great tales of you as well, once you join us at the front,” Rumplestiltskin added boldly. “And you joining us wouldn’t be because you were forced to do so, but because you had honor.”  
The thief kept quiet, then replied with “We’ll see…” before he let go of Rumplestiltskin’s hand and took a step back. “You may leave now.”   
Rumplestiltskin nodded and put one arm around Belle’s waist, keeping her close and as warm as he could as they turned around and walked off the bridge, both of them still fearing that it wasn’t over, and for the first minutes they feared that an arrow would hit. They kept incredibly quiet, until it really appeared like they weren’t being followed, and Belle turned her head to look at the brave knight that had come to save her.   
“Rumple,” she whispered emotionally, but with a happy smile on her face. “I can’t believe you came for me.”  
He felt relief wash over him, finally believing that they were safe, and he felt his stomach squeeze in all kinds of ways as he looked at her by his side. Her hair was a little messy and she looked pale, but her eyes were still as radiant as ever and she looked happy – not broken, as he had feared.  
They kept their voices down, afraid some knights would still be near, and Rumplestiltskin guided her towards the river, walking by her side towards the cave.   
“I had to come here – when I heard you were taken – I was worried sick. Are you alright though, princess? Did they harm you?”   
She shook her head. “They didn’t, not really. They locked me in a cage on a cart, but I had blankets to keep myself warm in there. I was not allowed to keep them when making the exchange, so that was why I was freezing then. But other than that, I’ve been reasonably warm and good, quite w-…”  
Belle suddenly shrieked - and for a moment Rumplestiltskin feared that she had been hit by an arrow, noticing how she jumped away from his arm. She then shrieked again as she took another step and another, before she completely lost her balance and fell in the river, going under in the water while Rumplestiltskin drew his sword and looked around him in complete surprise. Had she been hit by something? He had not heard anything at all – nothing except the frogs that…  
Looking at the path in the starlight, he realized in a second what had caused Belle to startle such. Frogs – squashed by her own bare feet.   
Despite the cold, it only took him a moment to jump in the river as well and to help Belle get up and catch her breath. The water was freezing and Rumplestiltskin lifted her up and out of the water, now almost completely soaked as well as he headed towards the caves in a greater hurry than before.   
“Rum-Rumple!” she said as she shivered. “Th-there w-were fr-frogs!”  
“I-I know,” he replied, trying to catch his breath in the cold. “I am grateful it wasn’t worse…”  
She had startled him, but he could not be mad at her. He had hardly expected a princess to be used to squashing animals beneath her naked feet. It certainly wasn’t her fault that she had no shoes with her.  
“I’m getting you to a cave, I have blankets there – and there’s a fireplace that I should be able to light up in two minutes. We’ll get you warm again in no time!” His teeth were clattering as he said those words, and as he carried her down the path next to the river, he felt how she put her head on his shoulder, her arms tense around him as she was suffering quite badly from the cold. “Just hang in there, Belle…”  
She looked up slightly as she realized he wasn’t calling her princess anymore, and a faint smile spread across her lips.   
“I will,” she whispered bravely.  
“You’ll be alright,” he continued honestly. “I’ll take care of you.”


	6. Fire

Belle stood behind him, shivering in her wet nightgown, with Rumple’s thick and wet cloak now disposed next to the fireplace as the first flames were beginning to burn. She sighed a breath of relief when the fires started flaring up a bit and knelt down, stretching out her freezing hands towards the warmth of the fire, surprised when she saw Rumplestiltskin light a torch.   
“Follow me, my lady,” he said softly, offering her his hand, even if his was just as frozen as hers.   
She took it and helped herself get up, curious as he started to lead her further into the caverns.  
“Why are we leaving the fire?” she asked softly, fearing she was going to get terribly ill if she did not get warm soon.   
“I have something warmer and far more pleasant for you,” he said mysteriously, and when she noticed the first small pools around them as they walked deeper into the caverns, she understood.   
“Hot springs?” she wondered.  
He nodded and smiled at her. “Aye, there are a few that aren’t too hot either. And they’re only knee-deep.”  
He stopped by one and put his hand in it, relaxing as he felt the heat of the water surround his frozen fingers.  
Noticing how his gaze relaxed, she was quick to follow his example, first with nothing but her hands, but soon she was getting into the water completely, soaking her entire body in its warmth, sighing softly in approval.   
She was still wearing her nightgown, and Rumplestiltskin cleared his throat nervously as he said: “If you give me your dress, I will go and put it by the fire so it can dry. You can stay here of course.”  
She knew him well enough to realize that he wasn’t asking this to see her naked or anything else as perverted as that. He was simply trying to make sure she was alright – and that her dress would be dry and warm the next time she’d put it on.   
“Of course,” she said softly, already pulling up her nightgown as Rumplestiltskin turned around so he would not have to see her.  
“I won’t look,” he stated the obvious.   
Chuckling, Belle shook her head. “I know that, silly. I trust you.”  
It meant a great deal to Rumplestiltskin to hear that, and when Belle was finished undressing, she wrung the nightdress, then handed it to him while he still looked at the cavern wall.   
“I’ll be back shortly my lady, I believe there are some candles around – let me look for them, so I can light these caves up for you.”  
He found a few candles next to one of the other pools, apparently one that had also been frequented by visitors in the past. He put up a few candles together and lit them, and spread them throughout the cavern so there were a few areas where the walls were lit up while others were still shrouded in darkness.   
It was still the middle of the night, and as Rumplestiltskin returned to the fire, he lay Belle’s dress to dry.   
He had to admit that he was also freezing himself. Though he had been able to keep his head and hair dry while he had helped Belle out of the water, his clothes were just as soaked. He took off the leather vest and his pants, laying them besides Belle’s nightgown to dry and throwing some more logs onto the fire. But he was still very cold as he took off his shirt and tried to warm himself by the fire.   
The fire dried him – but his bones were chilled as he wrapped a blanket around him, and then headed back to Belle with the other blanket.   
“My lady?” he asked as he approached the caverns, wishing to alert her of his presence, and he heard the water splash as she moved about.   
“Rumplestiltskin,” she said in a warm tone. “Please do call me Belle.”  
He carefully looked in her direction, noticing that she was sitting with her legs pulled up until under her chin, and she did not seem to mind that he was looking at her.   
“Are you alright?” she wondered, holding out her hand towards him, and he could not help but be drawn to it, carefully putting his hand in hers and startling when she gasped.   
“Your hand is frozen!” she cried out, not hesitating at all as she added: “You really need to get in the water, Rumple, at least you’ll warm up a bit then!”  
He gulped, not sure what to do, and was surprised when she let go of him and put her hands in front of her eyes. “Go on,” she encouraged him. “I won’t look.”  
He hesitated for a few seconds, but he had to admit that he loved the idea of soaking in the hot water – it was just the idea of getting naked and sharing that hot water with her that was a little disturbing. The king certainly wouldn’t approve… but then again, the king wasn’t here – and he was really freezing and dying to spend more time with her.  
He shrugged off the blanket, already butt-naked underneath, and he hurried into the water as quickly as he could, sitting opposite from her and pulling up his knees as well, just as she had done. He thanked the gods that it was dark in these caves, and he cleared his throat meaningfully.   
Belle let her hands drop again and looked at him with a smile on her face. Thankfully she had not lost any kindness during her kidnapping.  
In the dim candlelight, he saw how she curiously tilted her head as she asked him: “How have you been, Rumple?”  
He was amused that she kept calling him such now. “Quite alright, Belle. And you?”  
She shrugged, her bare shoulders glistening in the light of the candles. “Pretty alright, considering the fact I was kidnapped…" Remembering something he had said, she bit her lip before she continued: "Earlier on… you said that three guards died? Was that true?” She held her breath as she waited for his response, and he nodded sadly.   
“I did not tell those thieves any lies. So yes, it was true. Three men died.” He noticed her disappointed gaze and deciding to distract her from those sad thoughts, he continued: “I regret not learning the names of those thieves. If they do not help out during the Ogre Wars, I will hunt them down this spring. That’s what they deserve then. But I don’t even know where they’re from…”  
He looked pretty miserable admitting that, but Belle cheered up at those words.   
“I do!” she said eagerly. “I pretended to be sleeping – a lot. I heard them talk to one another. They’re from Sherwood Forest. The two men that took me from the castle were the ones that spoke to you. The leader is named Robin, the other one is called Will. They were stupid enough to call each other by their names in the moments they thought I was asleep. They seem to have a feud with the Sheriff of Nottingham - they really despise the man, apparently he is a bit of a tyrant around Sherwood Forest.” She sounded incredibly smug about having learned all that, and Rumplestiltskin grinned because of it.  
“I can't believe you heard all that…” he admitted breathlessly, staring at Belle with a half-smile on his face. He couldn’t believe just how incredible she was. “You’re amazing.”  
She blushed at those words and averted her eyes for a moment, but when she looked up, she shrugged and said: “Not completely amazing though. It was pretty stupid of me to startle so much when I stepped on those frogs.” A shiver ran down her spine at the memory of it, and Rumplestiltskin could see how she trembled at the thought. “It’s thanks to me that our clothes are wet now.”   
Rumplestiltskin laughed – finding that something they could easily overcome, and in an effort to cheer her up, he said: “Well, to be honest, I can’t really say I mind spending time with you in these hot springs, princess. You’re delightful company – and if you had not stepped on those frogs, we’d probably be asleep already. That would be far duller.” Gathering all the courage he had, he admitted: "I like spending time with you - talking with you."  
Belle was a little moved by his words and smiled. She was glad that he did not ridicule her for the way she had reacted to the feeling of squashing frogs beneath her soles, and she also appreciated his attempts to cheer her up.   
“Rumple,” she began thoughtfully, a little afraid to change the subject, but she was dying to know… “How were the Ogre Wars going for you? Were you… were you close to winning my hand?”  
She looked at him with such hope that Rumplestiltskin felt his heart break a little bit, and he gulped before he replied: “I was third, but… I… I think I’ll lose a few spots now – by coming here… I… I don’t know if I can still win your hand, princess…”   
She was disappointed to hear that, and she asked: “So you came here to rescue me, even while you knew that would lessen your chances to win my hand?”  
He felt dreadful now, looking at her sad expression, but he defended himself by saying: “I had to know you were alright – I had to save you and see you – I could not do anything else but volunteer to rescue you. I… I’m really sorry if this means I can’t win your hand but… I just had to come.”  
He would not have been able to live with himself if he had not tried to save Belle, and he looked miserable because he knew he had blown his chances of ever becoming her husband.  
Seeing how he felt bad now – almost guilty for letting her down – she moved closer to him through the water. The darkness shielded most of her from his view, and she noticed how he held his breath as she moved to sit beside him, and he tried to focus on her face and her eyes, and to avert his gaze from any other parts of her that he longed to look at.  
“I’m glad it was you,” she whispered, putting her hand on his as it rested on top of his knee, and he gulped nervously.   
“But I destroyed any hope of ever winning your hand this way,” he said miserably. “I wish I could marry you, Belle – I wish I could become your husband and make you happy every day – for the rest of your life. I would try so hard, Belle…”  
His chest was heaving from emotion, wishing with all his heart that things were different from the way they were – wishing he could turn back time and have a chance to ask her father for her hand in marriage long before he ever came up with the idea to give his daughter’s hand away as a prize. She was worth so much better than that.  
Belle had not expected such honesty from him, and though she had known of his affections for her, she had not realized that he felt that desire and want so deeply.  
She leaned closer to him and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, causing him to smile shyly.   
"Let me thank you," she whispered, and as she moved in front of him and put her hands on his as they rested on his knees, he was too dazed to do anything but look at her as she rose out of the water for a bit, not covering up her breasts as he stared at them, his mouth dry as he found her beauty to surpass that of any woman he had ever seen in his life. It was not hard to imagine that even the Gods had no equal to her, and he was so mesmerized watching her that he hardly realized when she leaned into him and kissed him full on the lips.  
He startled - and she noticed, quickly pulling back to check if he was alright. He was blushing and staring at her with an expression that mixed fear with adoration, and afraid as she was to lose him, she pulled back and lowered herself into the water again, blushing as well now.   
He was a little ashamed - if only because of the speed at which his erection had come up - and he felt unworthy of her. She was so beautiful and he... he had never believed himself to be any particular brand of attractive.  
"Your father would not approve," he whispered - more to himself than to Belle.   
"My father is not here," she said stubbornly. "And you came here to save me. It is a lady's prerogative to reward her knight in any way she seems fit."  
He gulped before he asked: "So my reward is a kiss?"  
She nodded - her cheeks burning a little from excitement. "If you'd like one, that is..."  
His straining erection was all the proof he really needed to know that he would love another kiss - but was it proper to indulge himself like that? After all: the lady was to marry soon enough - and probably with someone other than himself. Yet he knew that she liked him as he liked her, and so it would perhaps be even crueler if he denied her the kiss she wanted.  
"Al-alright," he said in a hoarse tone, and as he leaned forward this time, he noticed how she did the same, the sides of their noses touching for a moment before they closed their eyes and united their lips.   
He certainly would never have imagined winning a kiss from the princess this way - and to receive it naked was... exciting - to say the least. Feeling how she moved her arms around his neck in order not to lose her balance, he gently put his hands on her shoulders, noticing how she was trembling.   
Afraid something was wrong, he pulled away to look at her. "Are you alright, my lady?" he asked in a tone full of worry, and he saw her confused expression change into an endeared one.   
"More than alright," she replied softly, and she moved around him in the water again, this time moving to his side before she put her hands in his neck and pulled him closer, demanding another kiss that Rumplestiltskin was more than willing to give her.  
He wasn't sure how many kisses he had won, but the princess did not seem to want to stop thanking him just yet, and after several minutes of sharing many more sweet and wet kisses, with Belle not too shyly touching his cheek and neck and hair, he gently broke the kiss and pulled her on top of him, wrapping his arms around her waist as he looked at her for approval. Even in the darkness of the cave, it was clear to him that she was blushing, and he hoped he had not stepped out of bounds, but he wanted to feel her even closer to him. He didn't know where he wanted it to end - or perhaps that was just because he didn't want it to end, and neither did she.  
But after he had pulled her closer, Belle wanted to close the very last distance between them, and so she pressed her own body against his as they kissed, surprised when she heard Rumplestiltskin moan all of a sudden, and she realized that she was feeling his member against her belly. Pulling her lips away from his, she was just in time to see a look of embarrassment on his face, and he mumbled: "Apologies, my lady, I fear you startled me..."  
She hadn't heard any fear in his moan though - just desire - and she licked her lips as she looked at him, quite comfortable to be sitting in his lap in the warm water.  
But fear was beginning to spread through Rumplestiltskin – fear of what the king would do to him if he ever found out about this.   
“My lady,” he said gently, his hands on her side, but no longer pulling her nearer. He was clearly avoiding her gaze now, and instead looked at some of the candles that stood by the cavern wall. “We should get some sleep…”  
Belle gulped, her mind screaming that she didn’t want this to stop already, but she did not want to force him against his will.   
“Oh… alright,” she said softly, the disappointment in her tone breaking Rumple’s heart.   
She got up from his lap and stood up in the water, his eyes glued on her naked and wet body as he looked at her with open mouth. He had not expected her to get up so quickly, and it was like his brain was shutting down as he looked at her belly button and the curls that began not much further beneath it. She had her legs closed, but he could still see the curve of her ass and felt his cock twitch at the thought of having sex with her.   
But he had said he would rather go to sleep – it would be wiser, he tried to convince himself, but he was still completely motionless as she stood in front of him, apparently waiting.   
“Can I dry myself off with one of the blankets?” she asked him, putting one hand on her hip and it almost seemed like she wasn’t ashamed at all to be naked in front of him. In fact, it seemed like she rather enjoyed it, and as he nodded in reply to her question, she raised an eyebrow. “Won’t you get me one?” she continued, and he was too distracted by the sight of her firm nipples to pick up on her playful tone.   
As he rose from the water, she bit her lip and looked him over just as he had been unable to stop looking at her. She was surprised by the size of his cock – not to mention that she had not imagined it to look quite like that. As he left the hot springs and took a blanket, she got a good view of his ass, and she thought it looked rather sexy – so small and tight – and she noticed a few scars on his back as well as on his chest and tummy.   
As he opened the blanket for her, Belle took it and wrapped it around her shoulders, not saying anything of his prying eyes as he watched her dry her back, standing completely still as though he was awaiting her orders, but in truth he was too mesmerized by her beauty to even consider the fact that he was once more beginning to freeze himself. Not even the cold air could cool him down now, and when Belle suddenly removed the blanket from around her own shoulders and wrapped it around his, he startled because she was so close. She started drying off his chest and shoulders and neck, and he watched her as she did so with longing in his eyes. She was so beautiful and all rational thought was beginning to leave his mind. Her father was forgotten and all he wanted was to make her his and to hear her moan his name as he would drive her gorgeous small body to an orgasm.  
But he stood as still as a statue as she slowly moved the blanket lower – over his ribs and tummy – and he gasped when she started drying off his cock, closing his eyes for a moment while he tried to catch his breath. He wasn’t given much of a chance to do so, however, for he once more felt the princess’s lips on his and her body pressed against his, both their bodies cold now from the cool air between them, and he pulled her near him for warmth as they kissed fiercer than before, the princess’s tongue looking for his, and he moaned in her mouth as he grabbed her ass and pulled her against him.  
She wasn’t holding back at all, instead, she stood on her tiptoes to accommodate him, her fingers scraping his scalp as she let them run through his hair, and she seemed to find his moans rather thrilling, soon beginning to kiss his jaw and neck as well in an attempt to prove to him that her need was just as great as his.   
But it was still cold, and they were still a bit wet, and they could not make love on the cold rock floor, and so Rumplestiltskin lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her back towards the fire.  
It was during that walk that some sense returned to his mind and he asked her: “Are you sure of this, princess?”  
“I am,” she replied, looking into his eyes so he could see her determination. “I want you to make love to me, as I want to make love to you.”  
He had not expected her to be so blunt, but he could not help but grin at those words. He gently lay her down on the blanket in front of the fire, looking at her naked form as she licked her lips, waiting for him to cover her, and as he put his weight on top of her, she chuckled.   
“Am I too heavy?” he wondered carefully, fearing he was going to break his small princess with his weight, but she simply laughed.   
“Don’t worry, my knight,” she teased him. “I can take you.”  
He gulped heavily, knowing how badly his cock wanted to be taken by her, and he was surprised to find her grab hold of it and position it in front of her entrance.   
He was too aroused to wonder where she had learned all that. After all, princesses were not raised to have much of a sexual education. But Belle had never shied away from any book in the library and she wanted nothing more than to give her virtue to him.   
“I want it to be you,” she whispered in his ear, trying to push his member inside of her, even though she was rather tight.   
He needed to get in her soon, he knew, and he brought his hand down to her curls to feel her up, not particularly surprised by how wet she felt down there, not after all the eagerness she had displayed to get him this far. He entered her with one finger first, her gasp encouraging him to try it with two, and as she moaned softly and full of longing for him, he gulped, rubbing her clit for a bit before he brought his member back to her entrance. He kissed her neck and waited for her to arch her back, and when she moaned as a result and did just that, he pushed himself inside of her, her longing moan and the wetness with which he was met encouraging him to start rocking his hips against her, the both of them moaning as their sexes met in such a perfect unison.  
He wanted to quicken his pace – to have him scream his name – but he reminded himself that this had to be her first time, and when he slid out of her, he stopped for a moment, looking at her face to see how she was doing.   
She needed a moment to catch her breath and as she looked at him she looked rather love-drunk, a shy smile on her face before she licked her lips once more.   
“Is something wrong?” she asked, hoping that he was going to continue soon enough, and as he smiled at her, he put a gentle kiss on her lips before he looked at her again.   
“No, my princess,” he whispered. “Are you alright?”  
“I am,” she said quickly.   
“Not hurt?” he asked, a little surprised by the ease with which he had just taken her virginity.   
“No,” she assured him quickly, and she hesitated for a moment before she said: “I’ve eh… I’ve been practicing…”  
He frowned, the thought of his beautiful Belle fucking someone else something that disturbed him a great deal, and he was relieved when she said: “With myself, I mean… When father said he would marry me off to any knight that would win the ogre wars, I knew I couldn’t take any chances… I started touching myself in order to be ready for it…”  
She was blushing as she admitted that, and he gently cradled her face between his palms as he rested his weight on top of her.   
“Some men expect their brides to bleed on their wedding nights,” he said gently, but Belle only seemed to be irritated by that.   
“Well, and I have not bled at all, yet I am still a virgin – or I was one, until a few minutes ago. A man who thinks a women needs to bleed on their wedding night is a brute, and if my future husband ever makes me bleed, I will make him rue the day he married me.”  
She spoke with such fire that Rumplestiltskin startled a bit. He had not expected that from her, but it was not like it made his love for her any less, on the contrary.   
“I have to say,” he began softly. “I don’t wish to hurt you, Belle.”  
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “I know, silly. Why do you think I want to do this with you?”  
As she wrapped her legs around him, he gently positioned himself in front of her again, not breaking their gaze as he gently pushed himself inside, the sight of Belle biting her lip one he hoped never to forget. He shuddered as he penetrated her deeper than before, and she noticed it straight away.   
“Something wrong?” she wondered.   
His cheeks were burning up but he quickly shook his head. “Not at all. Quite the contrary. It feels good to be inside of you, princess…”  
He slowly started rocking his hips against her again, and she smiled when he did so. “Feels good to have you inside of me too, Sir Rumple…”  
He had never had anyone call him ‘Sir’ during any lovemaking – then again, last time he had been intimate with a woman had been decades ago – and he had not been a Sir back then at all. But to hear it from a naked woman – his princess Belle, none the less – did things to him.   
As he continued to gently move his member inside of her, he noticed how her cheeks turned pinker with each thrust. Her longing moans and sighs were only building up his confidence, and he decided for himself that if he was only granted one night with the princess, that he wanted to make it count. He wanted her to remember forever and he wanted her to experience his complete devotion.   
As he pulled out of her, he moved down to kiss her neck and even lower towards her breasts. He started to lick her nipples, and looked her straight in the eye as she looked down in surprise, a cocky smile on his face as he watched her smile. In the meanwhile, he let his hands caress her sides and gently squeeze her flesh, and she hummed in approval as he did so. He continued with those caresses for several minutes before he gently turned her over, letting her rest on her stomach as he let his hands roam over her back, gently massaging her shoulder blades and lower back, nipping at her skin as he placed sweet kisses all over his back.   
She closed her eyes and moaned gently in approval and only turned her head a few minutes later, when she felt his member on her sex, gently stroking up and down those lower lips before he pushed himself inside.   
Gasping in surprise, she tensed a little as he filled her up, but as he held still and kissed her neck, she started to relax again.   
“Are you alright?” he asked in a whisper. “Does it hurt?”  
“It’s different,” she replied in a soft whimper. “I’m not sure.”  
“Trust me,” he whispered as he pulled out of her a little, then thrust back in. She gasped as he did this a few times, and eventually said: “It’s alright, Rumple… I rather like it.”  
He was going to give her all the time she needed to get used to him, and he was extra slow as he rocked against her, squeezing her ass with one hand and using his other to wrap around her and massage her breasts. She had her hands next to her head, completely relaxed as he spoiled her so, and he gladly indulged her.   
The fire kept them warm enough while they made love, and when Belle moved around to sit on his lap, he did not object.   
“Are you warm enough?” he asked as she now covered him instead, and he immediately reached out to one of the blankets, carefully putting it around her shoulders so her back wouldn’t cool down too much, and she found the gesture to be very sweet.   
“Lay down,” she encouraged him, gently pushing him down, and he obediently did so, smiling as he looked at her. She was so beautiful with her loose curls hanging over her shoulders and her perfectly round breasts – not to mention that he was completely mesmerized by her lips and eyes as she slowly lowered herself on top of him.   
He shuddered at the sensation of her inner walls clenching around him, and realizing how it made him feel, she repeated it a few times, excited to hear his gasps and moans as she was in full control of what her inner walls were doing.   
“How…” he muttered hoarsely. “How do you do that?”  
“Horseback riding,” she replied playfully. “Develops those muscles quite a bit.”  
It certainly would explain why he had never experienced such a thing before. None of his previous partners had that particular skill and he bit his lip in order not to cry out from pleasure as she let her inner walls clench around him on her own command.   
But as she put her hands on his stomach – which caused him to chuckle because he was rather ticklish – she began to rock her hips over his. The perfect curve with which she did this spoiled him even more, and for a moment he feared he was going to come.   
“Belle!” he gasped, grabbing her hips rather firmly and holding her perfectly still. “Wait!”  
She looked at him in slight confusion but did not continue for a moment, wondering: “Did that hurt?”  
“No, no,” he panted in reply. “That… that felt too good. You would have had me come. I need a few seconds.”   
A little confused about that, she said: “But I want you to come. As often as you like.”  
He chuckled, figuring that this was something she did not know, and he explained: “Women can come much more than men can. For a man, once we come, we grow soft again, and then we can’t continue to make love to you until we’re hard again. And that takes some time – much more time than it takes women to get ready for another orgasm.”   
Belle listened intently, then nodded slowly. “I understand,” she said. “So you want me to come first?”  
He chuckled. “I want you to come as often as you want. In fact, you can come right now, if you want to. Don’t hold back on my behalf. I will come too, but let me enjoy seeing you come first.”  
She blushed at those words and wrapped the blanket a little firmer around her shoulders, though she did not cover up her front, realizing how happy it made Rumplestiltskin to see and touch her boobs while she sat on top of him.   
“Can I continue now?” she asked to be sure, and as he nodded, she continued rocking against him, though it was clear that she was experimenting a bit, searching for a pace and something that was easy to keep up, and in the meanwhile he got to lay back and enjoy the view.   
“You’re gorgeous,” he whispered, and she looked at him and smiled at that compliment.  
“And you’re handsome,” she replied as she stopped her rocking for a moment and leaned down, kissing him full on the lips while he tangled his hand in her hair and enjoyed the sensation of her wet lips on his again.   
As she continued moving over him while they kissed, she began to moan, and from the way she was pressing her underbelly against his, he figured she was enjoying the friction her movements caused very much. As he began to rock his hips as well, meeting each of her moves, her moaning grew a little louder, and he increased the pace a bit, which seemed to knock off her rhythm for a minute.   
“Rumple…” she whispered in his ear, trying to encourage him. “Faster…”  
He did as she asked, grabbing her ass as they rocked against one another, and as she started repeating his name like a mantra, he knew he had to continue. When she suddenly gasped and cried out his name, he knew the moment was there, and he felt her walls clench around him as she came.   
He held her in his arms, kissing the side of her head and letting her catch her breath, the pace with which he rocked himself inside her slower until she slid off him, a little overwhelmed by the feeling.   
“Was that good, my princess?” he asked her as he tightly held onto her, stroking her hair out of her face.   
She looked at him and smiled, her cheeks red from the arousal, and she nodded a little shyly.  
“More than good, my knight,” she whispered in a reply, and she rolled off him, laying in front of him while they both faced the fire. She tried to shrug the blanket off so she could feel his bare front against her back, and he helped her with it as he covered their legs with the blanket instead.   
Even though she had just come, he had enough experience with women to know her muscles would be pretty relaxed by now, and he used the moment to slide into her again, hearing her chuckle as he did so. But as he rocked against her some more, entwining his fingers with hers in front of them, Belle turned her head to look at him, no longer laughing, but biting her lip as she looked at him as though he was all that mattered to her.  
It was true that she had already cared a great deal about him before today, but feeling him inside of her made her realize just how unconditional her love for him was. She would gladly stay in these caves forever with him – to kiss and make love for as long as the gods allowed them to.  
As he put his hand on her knee, gently pushing her legs closed as he continued moving inside of her, she moaned in approval at the sensation.   
“Like this, princess?” he asked her in her ear, and she turned her head to kiss him in response, and he gladly did so, stopping his rocking for a moment. When they broke the kiss, he kissed her neck and back while he massaged her breasts with both of his hands now, and when he continued his thrusting, he went a little faster than before, causing Belle to cry out in pleasure. He moaned as well, wanting her to know just how close she was bringing him to coming, but he stopped again before the moment was there, staying inside of her while his hand moved to her lower curls and he started to rub her clit.   
He could hardly believe how slick she still was for him, and as he rubbed her, she indicated what she liked with her moans, and barely a few minutes later he felt her walls clench around him a second time, once more with her crying out his name.   
“Belle,” he repeated in her ear, over and over again as he tried to please her, and when she took a deep breath and slid off him, he continued to kiss her neck, turning her on his back so he could spend some more time kissing her boobs and nipples.   
“I think I won’t be able to stop myself a third time,” he warned her softly, and he was glad to see this did not disappoint her. Instead, she seemed more eager than before. The next time he entered her, she was watching him with a content smile on her face, and he raised an eyebrow as he noticed this, causing her to chuckle.   
“I like watching you,” she admitted and he chuckled before they both leaned in for a sweet kiss.   
“Just as I like watching you,” he whispered in return, and as he began to rock his hips against hers, they did not break their gaze. It was amazing to behold such desire in the person of their affection, and Rumplestiltskin tried his hardest to make each and every single one of his thrusts exactly how she liked it – hard, long and sensual enough to leave her moaning, and as she rocked her hips against his as well, he soon found that it cost no effort at all to fulfill their desires.   
When Belle announced that she was close to coming, he knew that he had to continue quickly – before the moment would arrive and she’d be too sensitive to his thrusts. He fastened the pace, noticing how she held on tighter because of it, and when he felt the moment arrive, he moaned in warning, not realizing how attentively Belle was watching him as he began to see stars in front of his eyes, his climax overwhelming him like a tidal wave, and he buried himself inside of her as deeply as he could, unable or perhaps rather unwilling to stop his moans. For those final moments it seemed like he had no control anymore, and Belle was pleasantly surprised by his hard and needy thrusts and the longing in his moans.  
And when he had emptied himself inside of her, he held still, the feeling of his climax ebbing away once more, and he also felt a little surprised he could feel her walls clench around him as she gently moaned as well, her last climax perhaps not as intense as the ones before, but just as welcome.   
As he looked at her with a slightly bewildered expression – still wondering how such a great thing could have happened to him that night – he saw her look at him with such a delightfully blissful expression that he could not help but smile.   
There were a million things they felt for one another – and a million things to say, but the first words that left her lips were: “Thank you…”  
He was slightly amused by that, and gently kissed her lips before he slid out of her, his soft member now sticky and he shot her an apologetic gaze as she shuddered at the sensation.   
“Don’t thank me yet,” he replied playfully, rolling off of her to kneel by his bag, looking for a handkerchief. When he found it, he moved to her side again, gently opening her legs so he could clean up the sticky mess he had made. She watched him curiously, not taking her eyes off his hands and other smaller body parts as he cleaned up his own member as well.   
“Looks so different now,” she remarked with a smile, and he chuckled.   
“Yes, it’s quite exhausted now,” he replied playfully. “It’s not every day he needs to perform for a princess.”  
Belle laughed, watching him put the handkerchief away again and beckoning to him to join her, and as she lay by the fire, he joined her, her back to the fire as she turned to watch him.  
He covered them both up by the blankets before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her near.   
“Are you even a little bit tired?” he wondered, feeling rather exhausted himself, and Belle noticed it.   
“Not as tired as you,” she replied. “But sleep, and I’ll watch over you.”  
As she started stroking the hair out of his face, he found the feeling so soothing that he could not resist closing his eyes. Though he had wanted to tell her a million things – not the least thing that he had never loved anyone as much as her – he was asleep before he had the chance to do just that.


	7. Cliffs

Waking up with Belle in his arms seemed like something from a dream. He had never expected to see his beautiful princess sleeping so sweetly as he caressed her bare shoulders, her skin softer than a feather.   
The first light of day was upon them, and he could see it entering the cavern, illuminating the clothes that lay on the floor to dry, the bag with food besides it and the horse that stood by the entrance. The fire was smoldering, and though he wanted the princess to be warm and comfortable, he also knew that they would have to get going soon. There would be no use in throwing another log on the fire now.   
He got up and was relieved to notice she kept on sleeping – at least for now – and headed to the hot springs to freshen up a bit. It was cold – but already a bit warmer than it had been the night before, and as he headed back to where he had left their clothes – still completely naked – he startled a little when he noticed Belle was awake and looking at him from underneath the blanket, her lips curled into a smile as he hesitated and covered his private parts with his hands.   
She giggled briefly and raised her eyebrow. “You have no reason to cover up,” she assured him. “It’s a pleasant view to wake up to.”  
He was certain that he looked as red as a tomato as he quickly took his pants from the ground and put them on, turning his back to Belle as he did so.  
“That view is even better,” she teased him, and he heard how she got up as well and as he turned around and noticed how she was headed to the hot springs now, he could not help but bite his lip as he looked at her bum while she walked. He still had no idea how he had managed to win her affection – still believed himself to be inferior as opposed to her – and started to pack up the blankets and other tools, stroking the horse's back as he thought about the journey ahead.   
When Belle returned – still naked – he watched her for only a second as she started to put on her clothes again – the thin nightgown, this time with his cape over it.   
“You can take the blanket too when we travel,” he suggested. “It will keep you warmer.”  
As he offered her some bread, she took it eagerly and hardly waited before she began to eat it, moaning a little as she did so.  
“Bread has never tasted so good,” she admitted with her mouth stuffed. “They didn’t feed me particularly well."  
“Why didn’t you tell me last night?” he wondered, worry in his tone.  
“I wasn’t that incredibly hungry,” she admitted. “They had given me some tea and some nuts, also a bit of rabbit that they caught. I wasn’t starving, but it was all rather basic. They didn’t even have bread.”  
Rumplestiltskin only felt like he had gone too soft on the thieves that had taken Belle. They had deserved a far fouler fate, yet he had let them leave without as much as a scratch.   
“It tastes good, is what I’m saying,” she clarified as she looked at him, realizing that he was thinking of the thieves, and she did not want him to linger on that. What was done was done, and they had no time or means to go and chase them now.  
They ate their breakfast in silence, and once they were done, Rumplestiltskin packed up the last of their stuff and offered to lift Belle onto the horse. “You should keep your feet warm if you can,” he told her. “I should have taken extra socks with me… Let me wrap your feet and legs with a blanket.”  
As he lifted her onto the horse, allowing her to sit sidesaddle, he gently wrapped the blanket around her legs, and she looked at him with nothing but softness in her eyes.   
He was so thoughtful and kind, and she could not help but regret the fact they were leaving this place. She would have liked to spend the rest of winter with him in these caves, but she knew life had to go on now.  
As he took the horse’s reigns, he led them out of the cave, where it became clear that it was a rather bleak day. Though it wasn’t freezing, it certainly felt like it did. The wind was cold, and Rumplestiltkin worried about his princess as he led the horse back to the forest path.   
Once there, he got on the horse as well, sitting behind her and holding her close while they headed back in the direction of the front. They did not speak, cautious about any thieves that would still linger in the forest, and kept their eyes wide open to spot any dangers.  
"Where exactly is it that we are?" Belle wondered after spending about an hour on horseback, warmly wrapped in her knight's arms, though her feet were rather cold and she wasn't sure how she was going to take this cold for another day - she felt like she was freezing.   
"If I had a map, I could show you," Rumplestiltskin added. "This is just part of the North East of the Dark Forest, but I wouldn't be able to specify that even more without showing it to you on a map."  
As Belle remembered something, she urged him to stop.   
He was surprised to see her leap from the horse, landing on the forest ground on her bare feet, where she trembled from the cold as she looked for a firm twig before she searched for a slightly muddy part of the ground and started drawing on it.   
Rumplestiltskin also jumped down the horse, looking behind her shoulder to see how she started tracing the outline of the forest, including a river that ran through it and two smaller streams, as well as the road to Navarre. He was impressed by her knowledge of topography – he certainly wouldn’t have been able to draw a map as accurately from memory – and he had actually travelled these parts several times in his life.   
"Can you tell me now?" she asked gently, handing him the twig, and as Rumplestiltskin calculated how long they had traveled and drew the bridge on the river where they had met Belle's kidnappers, he also marked the place where they were with an X, which caused Belle to frown for a small moment. As she took the twig again and drew another mountain that was not too far from where they were, Rumplestiltskin wondered what she was getting to.   
"The Dark Cliffs?" he wondered as he recognized that spot on the map and he saw how she nodded. "But what would we do there?" he continued. "Those caves have been deserted for a hundred years."  
Belle turned to him with a mysterious smile.   
"They were for a while, yes..." She kept her voice down, afraid anyone would hear. "But for the past dozen years, they have housed one of Navarre's biggest secrets..."  
Intrigued, Rumplestiltskin raised his eyebrow. "And will you tell me what that secret is?"  
Belle tossed the twig to the side. "When we get there, you'll see."  
He hesitated. He was curious about this secret, and he wondered if it would be worth the time.  
"You do know that it would be a detour of about four hours?"  
"I do," she said calmly. "By horseback, at least. But that won't matter once we get there," she teased him, climbing on the horse and offering him her hand to help him up. "Come, we can make it there in about three hours, yes?"  
He nodded and then took her hand, allowing her to pull him up and he sat behind her once more, wrapping her warmly in his arms before they continued.   
She kept very still as they rode on, sometimes pulling up the blanket a bit higher when they reached an open clearing and the wind grew colder, and he could not help but feel sorry for his maiden. He secretly hoped someone would cross their path, so that perhaps he could negotiate for another blanket or more clothes, but with the harsh winter and the war going on, it seemed like the forest was deserted and they only had each other for company.   
"Are you alright, my lady?" he asked gently whenever he saw her close her eyes in an effort to hide from the cold, and she smiled kindly.  
"You're sweet," she replied softly. "I'm alright. We're getting closer, aren't we? When will we see the cliffs?"  
"As long as we remain in the forest, we won't see them," he replied timidly. "When we get there, we'll be right beside the cliffs, without noticing we were nearby all that time."  
She closed her eyes again and rested against him, feeling rather uncomfortable from riding like this, but also knowing that the worst was behind her.  
"Will you try to get some sleep?" he asked gently, and as she nodded, he softly pressed a kiss to her forehead, causing her to smile.   
She did not truly fall asleep - she was too cold and sore to do that - but she did manage to rest and when Rumplestiltskin gently rubbed her back, she opened her eyes.   
"We're there," he said in awe as he looked up to the cliffs, noticing several carved out balconies and windows inside of them, some nearby, others hundreds of meters above them. He couldn't even see the top, for there were clouds that mysteriously hung above them, blocking their view.   
Belle let her eyes take in as much of the cliffs as she could, trying to figure out where to go next.   
"There should be a wooden door nearby," she said, sitting a little straighter. "I'm just not sure if it's to our left or to our right."  
"Shall we go left?" he suggested, still curious about where they were actually headed and if they were about to meet someone, and when he saw the wooden door in the cliff a few minutes later, he pointed towards it. There also seemed to be a large and open cave besides the door, with wooden poles and ropes to tie up any horses people brought.   
There were none there, however, and he wondered if that was a good or a bad omen.   
Belle got off the horse first and Rumple could only follow her, wondering where they were exactly as he watched Belle tie up her horse. Afterwards, they headed to the wooden door and as Belle knocked loudly, Rumplestiltskin wondered if anyone still lived here. The caves had been deserted for ages, or so the rumors went. After Belle had knocked, she wrapped her blanket warmly around her and they waited for over a minute, Belle patiently staring at the door while Rumplestiltskin got a bit impatient.   
"Seems like no one's home," he said, but Belle smiled at him and suddenly he wasn't so sure anymore.   
"Just wait," she encouraged him.  
Another minute passed, though it seemed to take even longer to Rumplestiltskin. He was watching his princess as she stood there - shivering in the cold, her feet red from the cold as she stood barefoot on the smooth stones in front of the door - and he had the urge to immediately wrap her up in his arms again and get her back to Navarre as quickly as he could. This had been a horrible idea - now she would be forced to spend even more time in the cold, just because they had taken a detour to some deserted cliffs.   
But Rumplestiltskin learned he was wrong when he suddenly heard a young girl's voice coming from above them, and as he looked up he saw a girl's face hanging over one of the balconies: "Just a moment!" she called out, and Belle let out a relieved sigh as they waited for at least another five minutes until the door finally opened.  
The same girl and a young woman faced them, each of them holding nothing but a candle in the dark room, their dark hair in sharp contrast with their pale faces.   
"Belle?" the young woman asked, her voice a little incredulous, and the princess smiled widely.  
"Red!" she replied in a relieved tone, not wasting any time to hug the young woman, who held the princess closely when she felt how cold she was.   
"What are you doing here?" Red asked, completely confused. "Why are you freezing? Where are your clothes?"  
Belle let go of Red to take a look at her old friend.   
"I got kidnapped," Belle replied matter-of-factly. "Rumplestiltskin paid off the ransom and is now tasked to get me back to my father. I was hoping to get some clothes here, and perhaps a ride as well? We are in a bit of a hurry."  
Red seemed disappointed. "I was hoping you'd stay a bit longer than that. We have so much to catch up about! I've missed you!"  
Both Belle and Red seemed to be rather emotional, and Rumplestiltskin and the other girl looked on in a bit of confusion as the two old friends talked to one another.   
As he cleared his throat, Belle realized her knight couldn't keep up, and she smiled as she explained: "Red used to live in the palace, along with her grandmother and some other women that took care of the griffins."  
"Griffins?" Rumplestiltskin repeated, suddenly realizing why no one knew of the people living in these abandoned mountains. "They're here?"  
"Eight of them," Red explained. "We've successfully bred two offspring in the past decade. Not enough to release them into the wild again - not with the way they're still hunted whenever they're spotted anywhere. They're just too rare to return to freedom."  
Rumplestiltskin straightened his back as he realized what a special place he was in. No doubt about it that this was one of the best-held secrets in the Enchanted Forest. And to imagine that he might actually see a griffin was an exciting thought to say the least!   
"You will eat something with us for lunch, won't you?" Red suggested carefully. "We were just preparing the table when we heard your knock. I can help you get something else to wear first, of course."  
"That would be nice," Belle admitted, looking forward to a nice lunch.   
"Great," Red said with a happy smile. "Grace, won't you take Belle's friend to the lunch room already? I'll help the princess get some new clothes."  
Grace looked at Red with wide eyes, only now realizing who had entered their hideout, and it took her a while before she turned to Rumplestiltskin.   
"Won't you follow me, Sir?" she said kindly, and Rumplestiltskin shared one last look with Belle to check if she was alright before he followed the young girl.  
The corridors were dark as the girl only carried a candle, and he wondered how many corridors there were exactly, for she kept turning corners and skipping doors until they were finally in a large cavern, the torches on several of the walls illuminating just how big it was.   
"Are you a knight?" the girl asked curiously as they crossed the cavern, and Rumplestiltskin nodded.  
"Yes, I am."  
There was only a moment of silence before the girl continued.  
"My father's a knight too," she said proudly. "He is fighting in the Ogre Wars currently."  
"I was fighting there too," Rumplestiltskin admitted. "Perhaps I know him?"  
The girl seemed very excited by that. "His name is Jefferson Hatter - do you know him?"  
Rumplestiltskin looked at her in surprise, shocked to learn his roommate had a daughter, and completely confused that he would find her here - of all places.   
"As a matter of fact, I do," he said honestly. "He is a very brave man - incredibly skilled and one of the best soldiers we have in this war."  
The girl seemed delighted by those words, and stopped at a large metal cage, getting inside of it while Rumplestiltskin wondered what kind of contraption he was getting into. Grace closed the little door to the metal cage, and as she started turning a wheel, Rumplestiltskin noticed they were gaining altitude - quickly - and without stopping.   
"It's called an elevator," she explained. "It's how we can go to the top chambers without having to take any stairs – that would take us way too long."  
"Fascinating," he muttered as he looked below him, the increase in altitude rather thrilling to him, and he noticed how there were several other levels with corridors - though they could not be reached by the elevator they were in.  
"Could you pass something to my father?" Grace asked sweetly. "He's not allowed to write me or I him while I stay here - we try to minimize contact with the outside world in order to keep the location of this place a secret."  
He could understand that, but he still wondered why he had never heard Jefferson talk about her. He assumed it had simply been too painful - or perhaps he was not as close to Jefferson as he liked to believe… Unable to ignore his curiosity, he asked: "Do you live here with your mother then?"  
"Oh no," Grace replied with a sad smile. "She died when I was just a baby. Red takes care of me when papa can't. And I really like it here, even if it's rather dark in most areas."  
She opened the little door of the metal cage as they had reached the top, and carefully stepped onto a platform.  
"Don't lose your balance," she warned him. "It would be a fall you would not survive."  
Rumplestiltskin was cautious as he left the elevator and took Grace's hand, which she held out for his support, and she was quick to pull him away from the elevator, towards a room where there was actual daylight inside.  
"So you'll give my father a note if I write it now?" she asked eagerly, and as Rumplestiltskin nodded, she seemed even more delighted.   
It appeared they had entered the dining room - or something like it - for there was a large wooden table with twelve wooden stools around it. It wasn't particularly fancy, but it was cozy. There was also a hearth in the room, keeping the area comfortably warm, and he hoped Belle would join them soon. It would be good for her to warm her spirits for a moment.   
"Would you like to see the kitchen too?" Grace suggested kindly, and Rumplestiltskin politely followed her, curious about this place.   
The next room was the kitchen, the rock walls gray and colorless against the bright red color of the wooden cabinets that stood against all walls, and he also spotted an older woman with gray hair and small glasses who was stirring in a pot of stew, looking with a raised eyebrow at the strange visitor.   
"And who the hell are you?" she inquired in a rough tone, something which caused Rumplestiltskin to raise his eyebrow in return.  
"Sir Rumplestiltskin," he replied cautiously. "And you?"  
"Miss Lukas," she replied matter-of-factly. "What brings you here?"  
"It's kind of a long story," Rumplestiltskin said sheepishly.  
"I bet you can tell me in one sentence," the old woman dared him, sounding bored already, and Rumplestiltskin could not help but dislike the woman.   
"I was sent to save the princess from kidnappers," he replied dryly, to which the woman suddenly raised her eyebrows.  
"Belle? She's here?"  
Grace nodded and was eager to inform the older woman of what had happened. "Red is getting her something new to wear - and they'll be joining us for lunch."  
"Good," Granny said, glad to hear Belle would join them. "Now make yourself useful and help Grace set the table."  
Rumplestiltskin didn't seem to have a say in it, and though it was unusual for a knight to help out in these matters, he gladly helped Grace with her work, carrying the jars of water and helping her with placing down the plates, cups and cutlery. They were only setting the table for five, and Rumplestiltskin wondered if no one else would join them then.   
"Do you just live here with Red and Miss Lukas?" he inquired curiously.   
"No," Grace informed him. "But we have our breaks at different times. So that the griffins are protected at all times."  
"How many..." Rumplestiltskin continued, but Grace beat him to it.  
"Twelve," the girl replied quickly. "All women - and me."  
It was clear that Grace was the youngest among them then, and though he still had a hundred questions, he kept quiet when Miss Lukas entered the room with the pot of stew in her hands, shooting him another firm glance as she passed by his side.   
He didn't feel particularly welcome in her presence, and he wondered if she thought he was a threat to her - or the griffins.  
When the door opened and Belle’s friend entered, Rumplestiltskin looked up expectantly, smiling as he spotted Belle behind her. She was dressed as a true adventurer – brown leather pants, boots and gloves and a beautiful bodice with a beige shirt underneath. She no longer looked as though she was frozen, and that was a great relief to the knight.   
“Good to see you again, princess,” the widow Lukas said in a bit of a rough tone, though there was some affection underneath as well. “Take a seat, you’re getting stew.”  
Belle was amused to see that the widow’s bedside manners had not changed and took the seat closest to the hearth, still looking for heat.   
As Rumplestiltskin moved to her side, he sat besides her, hardly raising his voice as he asked: “Are you alright, princess? Not too cold I hope?”  
She shook her head and replied in a whisper: “I’m alright – though I must admit that I don’t want to leave the warmth of the fire just yet…”  
“We can stay for a bit,” he said softly. “Until you feel better.”  
“Maybe another hour then,” Belle said softly. “We must get going, but I’d like to be a bit warmer before we face the cold again.”   
As miss Lukas gave them all some stew, they kept quiet and waited until everyone had a bowl in front of them. As they began eating, it remained quiet around the table, but neither Rumplestiltskin nor Belle minded that very much. They still had quite a journey ahead of them, and they focused on what was to come, enjoying the warmth of the fire while they could.


	8. Flight

Rumplestiltskin trembled in anticipation as Red guided him and the princess to the griffin chambers. Belle was quick to notice this and shot him an amused, yet curious gaze. As he noticed it, he blushed.   
“Apologies,” he whispered. “I had long given up the hope to see a griffin in this lifetime… I am extremely honored.”   
The princess smiled warmly, then admitted: “I didn’t think I’d ever come here myself. When Red and the griffins left the palace, I had not expected to ever see any of them again. I’m excited about this too… I wonder if the griffins still remember me… I was a child when I last saw them.”  
As she took his hand, he wrapped his own gloved fingers around hers, and as Red noticed this, she merely smiled and remained quiet, leading them on through dark corridors until they reached a lighter chamber – big enough for a wedding feast – but not quite as festive. Instead of flowers, tables and elegant candles, there were troughs, large wooden logs which the griffins used to sharpen their claws and beaks against, as well as a few boulders and a lot of hay. The light seemed to come from the ceiling mostly, where there appeared to be a few holes that let in some sunlight for the creatures.  
“Stay at the entrance,” Red instructed them, and as she entered the chamber further, some griffins got up from their hiding places and headed towards her, cautiously looking towards the strangers at the same time, spotting Belle and Rumplestiltskin.  
“I wonder if they recognize me…” Belle said softly – almost wistfully. “I really enjoyed spending time with them, but that was ages ago…”  
Rumplestiltskin was completely speechless as he witnessed the griffins approach, surprised by their massive size and variation in color. There were black ones, gray ones, brown ones, auburn ones… And even the young ones were as tall as him, and the adult ones would probably be twice as big if they did not keep their head down, approaching Red cautiously.  
“I’ve brought visitors,” Red told the griffins – and Rumplestiltskin was surprised that she would talk to the creatures. Did they actually understand?  
“You might remember Belle from back when we lived in the palace attics?” she continued, several of the griffins kneeling down a few meters in front of Red, relaxed and calm, while a few others stood still – a bit on edge. “She got in a bit of trouble when bad men kidnapped her, but the knight Rumplestiltskin saved her and wants to bring her back to the King. Would one of you be so kind as to help them on their journey to the north? It would save them a lot of time.”  
Rumplestiltskin doubted that any of the griffins understood any of that, until one griffin suddenly stepped forward, raising his head proudly and revealing his true size. He was easily the tallest of them all, small yellow eyes hidden behind ash brown feathers, the color making him appear older than the others. His brown beak was bigger than a human head and as he stepped forward, his hooves loudly echoed through the room. Rumplestiltskin gulped, noticing the creature was not headed towards Red, but past her, towards himself and Belle.   
They both stood paralyzed for a moment, Belle looking at the griffin with hope in her eyes.   
“Chester?” she asked softly as the griffin came closer. “Do you remember me?”  
She bit her lip, hoping for a sign that he remembered, and when the griffin stopped in front of her, he gently nudged his beak against her forehead, causing her to laugh in relief as she put her hand on top of the griffin’s head and petted him.   
Chester nudged Belle’s shoulder as well, putting his neck on her shoulder for a moment as though to hug her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. It felt good to be reunited with a childhood friend – and even better to realize that the griffins had not forgotten her.   
As she let go of the griffin, he stepped towards Rumplestiltskin, who stood very still as the large animal circled around him.   
Rumplestiltskin had some experience in dealing with dangerous creatures, but Chester did not seem to fall into that category. Violence would not be necessary at all. Instead, he patiently waited for the griffin to make a move. When Chester finally stopped in front of him, he gently lifted his hand, and was surprised to find Chester put his beak against his skin. The animal was willing to make a new friend, and Rumplestiltskin was very moved by this, a lump in his throat growing as the griffin’s gesture was making him a little emotional.   
He had a tear in his eye as he looked at the beautiful animal, and both Belle and Red noticed this. The girls exchanged a small smile as they witnessed the scene, and like he had done to Belle, Chester suddenly put his head over Rumplestiltskin’s shoulder, who hugged the creature in return.  
“It’s very rare for a griffin to trust a man so easily,” Red said in awe. “Men have for so long hunted griffins down – yet Chester trusts you. That is a great compliment indeed.”  
Rumplestiltskin felt honored, but Belle was not surprised. She knew no man with more honor than him. She wanted him to marry her – for him to become king of Navarre – and she only hoped that this future could still become a reality. For that to pass, they needed to return to the front as soon as possible – and Rumplestiltskin had to go back into battle and fight as many ogres as he could. Part of her hated the idea that this was the way that he had to prove himself, but she could not bear the thought of losing him either.   
“We must get going,” Belle decided. “Do we have a saddle for Chester?”  
“Better than just a saddle,” Red said. “A duo-saddle. He’s strong enough to carry the weight of two. I’ve been taking Grace out for riding lessons on the very same saddle. It’s very comfortable.”  
As Chester kneeled down, Red, Rumple and Belle carried the heavy leather saddle to the griffin and attached it firmly around his torso. Chester quite liked the petting as all these humans gave him a lot of attention.   
Red also handed Rumplestiltskin a wooden crossbow. “Best weapon you can have on top of a griffin,” she explained as she attached a quiver with arrows to the saddle. “In case someone fires at you, just fire back. Chester can’t defend himself while he’s in the air.”  
Belle and Rumplestiltskin put on warm cloaks and were about to hop on Chester, when Grace entered the room, carrying a note which she quickly passed to Rumplestiltskin.   
“For my father,” she said with a hopeful smile. “Tell him I miss him and that I wish him all the best!”   
The knight felt so sad for his comrade and Grace. Their little family was broken thanks to the Ogre Wars. But at the same time, Grace carried such hope within – it was infectious. He was grateful for being a witness to it. It reminded him of what they were fighting for.  
He pressed a soft kiss to the girl’s forehead, patting her on the shoulder afterwards.   
“I am sure that your father misses you very much, and he can’t wait to see you again. I will give him all your regards – and your letter!”   
The girl grinned eagerly as Rumplestiltskin put the letter inside his leather vest, and as Red opened a large wooden gate, revealing the cold, clear sky behind it, Rumplestiltskin climbed on Chester, seating himself right behind Belle as she held the reigns.   
“Let’s go,” Belle said decisively, and Rumplestiltskin nodded.  
“Thank you so much,” Rumplestiltskin said to Red and Grace. “I do not know how to repay you for your help.”  
“Take good care of Chester and make sure he comes back in one piece,” Red said with a grin. “The lady griffins can never miss him for too long.”  
He grinned, then winked at Red and Grace as Chester started rushing towards the wide open gate, already beginning to flap and stretch his wings.   
Red and Grace stood back, holding hands as the griffin and his two passengers left their hideout.   
Grace sighed longingly as they disappeared from sight, and Red shot her a questioning gaze.  
“He’s so dreamy,” the girl sighed, impressed by Rumplestiltskin’s gentle demeanor.  
Red raised an eyebrow. “He’s four times your age.”   
Grace shrugged. “Still dreamy…” 

Rumplestiltskin had never flown before – and it was a rather terrifying experience, but in the best way possible. He held on tightly to Belle, who was beyond thrilled to finally experience this. It was what she had dreamed off for so long – and the freedom she felt was beyond compare.   
The speed with which Chester travelled made the air feel only cooler, and they were glad they had received long cloaks to put over their clothes. Despite the cold, Belle felt warmer than she had in days, and as hours passed, they were finally nearing the front. As they flew overhead, they weren’t spotted by any of the soldiers below as there were battles against the ogres raging on. Night had fallen now, and the stars and moon illuminated the snowy landscapes below.   
No one focused on the air when there were ogres descending from the mountains, attacking the walls and small fortresses that the knights had built up during the years of war.   
Belle saw at least a dozen ogres, and this was just a small part of the border that they had traversed so far. She wanted to get a better overview of the situation, and directed Chester all along the border, counting over a hundred ogres, and with many more headed their way from a distance.   
Rumplestiltskin was just as quiet as Belle as he for once had an overview of the situation. Being in battle was very different. There were always a few ogres to deal with – but this – the size of the army and border and the amount of ogres they were facing – it was terrifying. Though he had killed many ogres, it was just a fraction of what they were actually up against. How could they ever win this?   
He wanted to point Belle in the direction of where his camp was, but she had a completely different idea. Suddenly she steered Chester towards the mountains, and Rumplestiltskin felt a twinge of fear.   
“Is that wise?” he called out in her ear, the wind making it hard for them to understand each other.   
“I want to know where they come from! How many there are left!” she shouted back, but Rumplestiltskin wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Who knew where ogres came from precisely? Worst thing was, all the ogres they faced were always adults – never kids. There had to be villages and settlements where they lived, and who knew how many ogres they would find there.   
What they both noticed, however, was how all these ogres seemed to travel alone. There would be one, heading down the mountains, and another one would follow a good distance away – not close enough to hear the other or to enjoy the other’s company – and it was strange to see how solitary they were when travelling, especially considering the fact that they often fought together at the border, and had no qualms against working with one another then.   
Belle might have enjoyed the sight of the northern lights in the distance if she had not been so distraught by the situation on the snow below. How could this war ever end if there were so many ogres still coming down the mountains each night?  
It got colder the higher up they went, and Chester remained beneath the clouds. They travelled for another half an hour or so, until they suddenly became aware of the northern lights distorting towards one spot on the horizon. Rumplestiltskin pointed to the spot, and Belle directed Chester there. These hills were covered with snow all year round, and the way that the lights seemed to flow to one single spot was peculiar to say the least. Nature did not behave this way on its own. Magic had to be involved.  
They were wary as they flew in closer, noticing the tracks in the snow that the ogres had left as they had travelled down, and Belle flew Chester in another direction suddenly, heading towards a cliff from where they would have a good view over the scene.   
As they hopped down Chester and stretched their legs in the snow, they walked closer to the edge of the cliff, trying to see what was going on on the snowy plains, at that one point where all the light seemed to gather.   
In the distance, it appeared like suddenly a statue started building up, gray stones piling on top of one another until a large statue of an ogre stood there, the northern lights giving it life itself, and with a roar, the stone suddenly broke way and made room for an actual ogre, who immediately walked away, leaving the spot free for the same process to be repeated.   
It took about five minutes for another ogre to be created, and Belle had grabbed hold of Rumplestiltskin’s arm as she had seen it happen.   
“At this speed, ten ogres descend these hills per hour,” Belle said quietly. “No wonder this war has no end.”  
“But why?” Rumplestiltskin wondered, frowning in confusion. “Who set this in motion? And how?”  
Belle shook her head, not understanding any of it. “I have no idea. We need to get closer.”  
She was about to turn around and look for a way down the cliff when Rumplestiltskin grabbed her by the arm.   
“Not by foot, surely,” he stopped her. “Let’s go on Chester. We can’t linger for long and we can’t outrun ogres in the snow – but we can outfly them!”   
Belle didn’t need more than a few seconds to consider his idea and consent to it. It was silly she hadn’t thought of that, but the situation was distracting, to say the least.  
As they hopped on Chester again, they waited for the moment that the next ogre started walking away before they descended to the mysterious spot in the snow, dodging the ogre’s view until they landed in the exact spot where a new statue was building up. The magic could be felt in the air all around them, and Chester seemed a little uneasy as they hopped off him, staying close to one another as they gave their eyes the chance to drink in their surroundings.   
Rumplestiltskin had his sword in hand, slightly on edge as he looked all around and underneath the stone ogre. Nothing gave away a weakness they could exploit – there seemed to be no way to break the system.   
“We should get out again,” Belle said quietly after a minute. “We only have another minute or so before the ogre comes to life and I don’t want him to be able to spot us.”  
As she headed to Chester, Rumplestiltskin suddenly stopped her, pointing towards a cavern. It appeared there was a light coming from inside the mountain – very faint, but hard to miss in the absolute darkness of the night.   
Belle saw it too, instinctively stepping a little closer to Rumplestiltskin.   
“An ogre?” she wondered, though she could not imagine for the life of her why an ogre would hide there. Ogres weren’t known for their cowardice.  
Rumplestiltskin gritted his teeth. “No. There’s magic all over this. Whoever’s responsible for this, is in there.”  
Realizing their time was limited, he took Belle’s hand and pulled her towards Chester again, mounting the griffin just in time before the stone of the ogre started cracking.  
They flew back to the cliff they’d been at before, now focusing more on the light in the cavern on the other side of the snow plains than they were focusing on the ogres and the actual magic going on.   
“Should we go and see who is in there?” Belle wondered quietly, but Rumplestiltskin already shook his head.  
“Bad idea. They’ll probably hear us coming from a mile away. It’s a miracle they haven’t spotted us already. Any sensible wizard would have cast a protection spell or something of the sort.”  
“They probably didn’t guess anyone would make it this far. And let’s be honest, without Chester we wouldn’t have been able to make it here.”  
“So the witch or wizard that’s responsible for this is either really stupid, or really cocky.”  
“Or really strong,” Belle added. “So strong that he or she does not need to fear us.”   
He didn’t like that suggestion, but he had to admit that it could be the truth.   
“If a person set this spell in motion, then killing that person would probably mean the end of the creation of new ogres,” he thought out loud. “Problem is that we aren’t equipped to face a magical opponent.”  
“They might be sleeping?” Belle suggested hopefully. “We could be quick about it and just shoot them with the crossbow.”  
He felt anxious. The ideas were all well-meant, but how could they deal with someone as powerful as the person in that cavern? Belle seemed eager to help, but he could not let her risk her life on this. She had a land to return to. Whatever they were going to do, he needed to do it alone. He was just a knight – he was meant to act upon heroics. She was the princess who needed to be saved at all costs – he could not allow her to become a martyr.   
“Belle,” he said softly, turning towards her as he grabbed a hold of her hand, urging her to look at him. “I will go and see what I can make of this situation – perhaps I can scout out more information, or perhaps I can already strike. But I don’t want you to remain close. Drop me off near that cavern, then return here with Chester. Keep Chester safe. If you see me wave at you once I leave the cavern, pick me up. If I don’t come out within ten minutes, then leave… Bring back an army if you must.”  
His suggestion alone startled her, and she looked at him with wide eyes and her mouth slightly open. “But Rumple…”  
“No buts,” he stopped her with a strict gaze. It wasn’t that he didn’t care for her opinion, but he did not want her to talk him out of this. And if anyone had the power to talk him out of it, it was Belle, which was why he was so strict now. This was the only option they had. They couldn’t just return to the other soldiers now. They hardly had any intel. If they were to be of use, they needed to know what they were dealing with, or die trying to get that information.   
Belle realized all too well how dangerous it was to go in without having a clue what they were dealing with, but at the same time, she understood the urgency. Every hour, more soldiers were dying. If they were selfish now and chose their own safety over that of the others, they simply wouldn’t be who they were. She understood that, too.   
If words weren’t allowed, then at least touches were, and she leaned in to kiss him, taking him quite by surprise by that, and his eyes only slowly fluttered closed as he felt her soft lips against his.   
“I love you,” she whispered when she broke the kiss. “Please stay safe.”  
The thought of not returning to her almost made him cancel his plans – but he knew that she also loved him for his bravery and selflessness – and so he made his heart of stone when he nodded and mounted Chester. Belle joined him, but only to drop him off near the mysterious cavern.  
They were very quiet as they flew towards it, and they didn’t make a sound as they landed. Rumplestiltskin shot one last look at Belle, noticing the tears in her eyes while he bit back his own. He had never been so terrified in his life. With the crossbow in his hand, he watched as Belle and Chester flew back to the cliff, and he took a deep breath before he headed towards the entrance of the cave.   
Whoever was in there, he was ready to face them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nanowrimo month often means wrapping up stories I never finished... I've just finished this story today, and thought it was about time I continued posting. Expect about 3 more chapters after this one. ;-)


	9. Magic

His hands were trembling as he entered the cavern, but not from the cold. He was terrified as he took slow steps towards the light, his finger on the trigger of the crossbow.  
As he entered the cavern, he saw that it was more than just a rocky hideout – it was a home – with a cauldron, a red sofa, an oak desk and armchair, and numerous racks filled with books and potions, as well as a large wardrobe, and even a cozy cot in the corner of the room.   
The inhabitant of the place didn’t seem to be present, and Rumplestiltskin wondered if that was a good thing or not. This gave him the perfect opportunity to snoop around – but it was also the perfect occasion for the magical owner of the place to catch him in a crime.   
Either way, he didn’t have a particularly good feeling about it.   
The torches that hung on the wall were all alight as he walked over to the desk and looked at the scrolls of parchment that were opened there. From what it looked like, they were instructions on how to summon ogres, mentioning the northern lights as well as a difficult-to-brew potion that was required for summoning them. Just a drip of the potion was enough, and as he realized that the massive cauldron on the fire was probably where the potion was kept, his heart beat even faster in his throat.   
The drips of potion were whisked towards the northern lights with another magical spell that was described on the parchment, and that was how the ogres eventually came to be.   
If he had to let this plan play out interrupted, then there would be enough ogres for decades to come – just from the contents of that cauldron. He held no control over the only other ingredient - the northern lights – and luckily that only shone at night during the winters.   
As he read the scrolls though, he started to realize that brewing the potion took months, and as he realized this, he rushed towards the cauldron, figuring out that if he got rid of the potion, they would be done fighting – at least for this winter. Many lives could be spared that way.   
He lifted his leg and kicked the cauldron as hard as he could, causing it to fall to the other side of the fire, its contents spilling all over the cavern ground. The clatter of the metal cauldron was very loud, and when the ground suddenly started to rumble, he rushed towards the exit as quickly as he could, before all the rumbling could cause an avalanche.  
He had no idea why the ground was shaking already, but he figured that he had to have triggered some sort of a protection spell to summon this magic upon him. As he raced towards the exit, he realized he was too late though – the snow was already falling down from the mountain, blocking his view of the snow plains – and also blocking his view of Belle’s hideout. 

As Belle saw the avalanche, she realized that Rumplestiltskin had to have triggered it in some way, and her heart started pounding even louder in her chest. She could feel the blood rush to her ears as she mounted Chester again and encouraged him to fly towards the cavern.  
She wasn’t religious, but she started praying for his safety now. The snow was still tumbling down the hills, and she hoped with all her heart that Rumplestiltskin was still alive inside the cavern. 

The torches flickered as the mountain shook, and Rumplestiltskin had stepped away from the entrance, as far as he could, seeing how snow not only blocked his view of the outside, but also covered a large part of the cavern now, forcing him into a corner where his only companion was the flickering torch.   
The mountain rumbled for several minutes, but then it grew eerily quiet, and he became painfully aware of his loud heartbeat.   
He was stuck.   
Belle was probably nearby now – probably worried sick – and he had no way to tell her he was still alive – or that he had destroyed the potion. Shouting would only increase the chances of summoning another avalanche over him – possibly putting Belle at risk too – so he could not do that. But how was he going to get out then? 

Belle faced a thick wall of snow – thicker than her old room in the castle – blocking her way to the entrance of the cavern. But she could not dig through this – not when the wall of snow was nearly the size of half the mountain.   
“Chester, what should I do?” she asked desperately, trying her hardest to think of something, but nothing came to mind. She wanted nothing more than to save Rumplestiltskin, but she had no idea on how to do that right now.   
The griffin stood quietly beside her, as clueless as she was on how to continue now that all hope seemed lost. 

Rumplestiltskin crawled over the snow to some of the racks that held books and other potion bottles, most of which had fallen over and rolled into the snow beneath him. He was holding the torch in one hand, not only glad for its light but also for its warmth. In the other, he still held the crossbow, though it was lowered now. As he put the torch against the wall, he took out each book one by one, skipping through the pages as quickly as he could while still understanding what was on each page, looking for something that could help him out of this situation.   
He was reminded of his first meeting with Belle – of sitting with her in the library, thinking of ways to defeat the ogres – and he now wished they had secretly spent more time on studying magic instead. What he wouldn’t give for the power to whisk away from this prison.   
As he browsed through a heavy tome, he suddenly jumped and dropped it when he heard a loud shriek behind him.   
Turning around instantly, he found himself raising his crossbow towards a witch – and not just any witch – she was green.   
Her black dress was tight, and she stepped to the side of the snow in her heels, lifting her skirt a little out of fear it would get dirty.   
“For crying out loud!” she shouted angrily, stepping to the side of the snow. “What on earth happened here?”  
This would have been the perfect moment to shoot her – it probably still was. But Rumplestiltskin was just staring at her instead, confused by the way she looked, and perhaps also slightly surprised that he wasn’t dead yet.   
As she cast a glance at him, she sneered. “And who might you be? Are you responsible for this mess?”  
Though she looked at his crossbow, she didn’t seem intimidated by it, and Rumplestiltskin lowered it, deciding to be as polite as he could be for someone who had just wrecked someone’s home.   
“Afraid so,” he replied slowly. “I’m Rumplestiltskin.”  
“Rumplestiltskin?” She laughed at the sound of his name. “What a silly name. A prince?”  
He quickly shook his head. “Just a knight.”  
She was smiling now – the kind of smile that made Rumplestiltskin fear for a moment that she wanted to eat him.   
“Just a knight,” she repeated after him, giggling as she waved her hand and made most of the snow inside the room disappear – though the exit was still blocked by a large amount. Noticing the cauldron on the floor, she sighed, heading towards it to pick it up.   
“Oh this isn’t good,” she muttered, though she didn’t sound as angry as Rumplestiltskin had expected. “My sister isn’t going to be happy about this.”  
“Your sister?” he dared to ask.   
The witch cleared the snow from her sofa and sat down on it, making a glass of wine appear in her hand before she took a slow sip, like she needed to unwind from a long day, and it was a curious sight to behold.   
“You may know her as the Evil Queen?” the witch suggested after half the glass was empty, and this did ring a bell.   
“Queen Regina?” he asked.  
“The one and only,” she replied, and Rumplestiltskin frowned.  
What surprised him, was how the green woman could be a sister of someone as pale as the Evil Queen.   
“I guess I should thank you in a way,” the witch said before she downed the entire contents of her glass. “Now I can finally leave this wretched cave. I hate spending my winters here.”  
Intrigued, though still careful, Rumplestiltskin approached her.   
“Then why do you do it?”   
He sat himself down on the little table in front of the sofa, the crossbow dangling between his legs.   
“Long story,” she sighed, but she immediately continued telling it. “It’s all to do with my sister of course. She just wants all of the Enchanted Forest for herself, but in order to get every single royal to kneel for her, she planned to make everyone suffer first. Hence the agonizingly slow war she has been orchestrating for decades.”  
That strategy confused Rumplestiltskin, but the witch was quick to continue.   
“Regina likes to see people suffer. She has her goals, and she can be impatient in many ways, but not in this way. When it comes to suffering, she likes it slow. And thus every winter she stations me here, each and every night, to make sure the ogres come to life. Not that I’m actually needed here but I figure she needs a break from me – and I need a break from her. The potion and the northern lights do all the work without me already.”  
“What do you get out of this?” he wondered, kind of amazed by how calm she remained despite these plans of war being completely destroyed.   
She started laughing, first softly, but then louder by the moment, until she was cackling.   
“Oh, dear knight, she isn’t the only one who likes to see people suffer slowly.”  
Rumplestiltskin’s eyes widened, realizing that she wasn’t as friendly as she had seemed. She was going to kill him.  
Upon noticing his terrified gaze, she suddenly frowned. “Oh sweetie, not you,” she shushed him. “My sister. Miss perfect has had it all – all her life – and I’ve always had to settle for less. I should thank you for doing this, in a way. Did you think I would kill you?”  
He gulped. That was exactly what he had thought.   
“No… Don’t worry. I’m a changed woman. I’m a mother now. I need to set an example.”   
Rumplestiltskin wasn’t sure what kind of a woman he was dealing with – but she seemed complex, to say the least. He had no doubt that she could kill him if she wanted to – but she seemed to be sincere at the same time. But the thought of this green lady having a child was strange.   
“What’s your name?” he suddenly interrupted her, and she smiled at the question.   
“Zelena.”  
“And your child’s?” he wondered.   
She hesitated for a small moment, just looking at him with a slightly confused gaze. No one ever showed must interest in her – or her child.   
“Robin. Named after her father.”  
“Is he…”  
“Dead?” she filled in for him, smiling. “No, no such thing. Which is good I suppose… He already has a child from another relationship… I mean… he never really loved me.”  
“I’m so sorry,” Rumplestiltskin said compassionately.   
“Oh!” she suddenly laughed. “No, not like that. I kind of pretended to be his wife for a while. I accidentally killed her… Well, it was no accident, but like… I didn’t know she was married the moment I killed her…” She wiggled her nose for a moment, thinking about it. “It’s complicated,” she decided. “I found out she had a husband, hid her body, filled in for her, wanting to get a child of my own but not having the complexion to get one looking like this...” She sounded bitter about that, then continued in a lighter tone: “I liked him though – he loved her – and he was good to me, is what I mean. I got pregnant in the meanwhile, but he never even knew it was me. Faked my death to get away from him once I was with child. He’s living happily in Sherwood Forest now. Galloping about with his merry men. And I’m a mother now!”  
She beamed proudly at that last admission, but Rumplestiltskin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The same scoundrel that had kidnapped Belle had left this woman with child – and he wasn’t even aware of it? It sounded like some strange karma indeed, but Rumplestiltskin figured he wasn’t the right person to comment on it.   
“How old is the child?” he wondered, and she was proud to tell him.   
“Nearly two years old now. She’s with my sister though.” She sulked as she admitted that. “My sister didn’t want her here, afraid her cries would cause an avalanche and ruin her evil plans. I see her during the days though.”  
“What will you do now?” he wondered. “Your sister won’t like hearing that the potion is gone.”  
Zelena shrugged. “I might take my kid and head back to Oz. I’ve had it with playing along with her. She promised me a castle and a kingdom – but I’ve never seen any of it. She told me to be patient, but I feel like I might as well leave. I don’t need her to get by. She’s just using me anyway. And the Enchanted Forest is no fun when everyone in it is dead. And ogres stink.”  
Rumplestiltskin grinned, agreeing with that last bit.   
“What will you do?” Zelena suddenly asked him, her gaze intense as she looked at him. “What will you do with the knowledge I just gave you?”   
She licked her lips in anticipation, and Rumplestiltskin thought for a few moments.   
“If Regina is the cause of this war, then she is the one we need to deal with – not the ogres. I know that Snow White has asked for help reclaiming her throne for years, but no king has ever wanted to waste resources on that while they were unbothered by Regina – or so they thought. Once they learn Regina was behind this entire war…”  
“Not all of it,” Zelena quickly cut in. “The old ogre wars were actually truly ogre wars – run by ogres. It’s just been Regina’s doing for the past decade or so.”  
“Noted,” Rumplestiltskin said with a grin. “I suppose we’ll be at war for a little while longer – but a different war.”   
“I’ll go to my sister in the morning,” Zelena thought out loud. “I could go now, but that would leave you with very little time to get away. I kind of regret leaving the Enchanted Forest though, if it means I can’t watch my sister lose everything… Ah well. Need to prioritize my daughter, I suppose.”   
She suddenly waved her hand towards the snow wall, and a hole the size of a doorframe appeared through the thick snow.   
Through the opening, Rumplestiltskin heard a hopeful voice call out his name, and his heart skipped a beat, happier than ever that he could hear Belle’s voice again.   
“Girlfriend?” Zelena asked, sipping from some more wine, her glass filled up again with magic.   
“Something like it…” he admitted with a grin, and the witch gave him a half smile.   
“Take care of yourself, sir knight.”  
“And you too of yourself and your daughter, madame witch.”  
Rumplestiltskin winked at her before he turned and headed towards the snow plains, hardly believing his luck.


	10. Luck

While they flew back on Chester towards the front, Rumplestiltskin tried to tell Belle all the witch had discussed with him, and Belle initially found it hard to believe – though she wanted to with all her heart.  
If this meant that there would be no more war for the rest of the winter, then that would be great. And if this gave them the time to focus on fighting Regina in the months to come, then there would finally be peace after they were done.   
Their find had been a lucky one indeed.   
Rumplestiltskin had his arms wrapped warmly around Belle as they flew back, and he found himself inhaling her scent a few times, hoping it would not be the last time he was able to do that. Beneath them, he saw ogres walking towards the war zone, and he felt his fingers twitch.   
“Belle,” he muttered, letting go of her and grasping for the crossbow. “I should try and kill them…”  
She was a little confused for a moment, but he explained: “I don’t want to lose you to another knight. I want to fight for you… I want to kill these ogres, get my numbers up… And I’ll be quite safe on top of Chester.”  
As she was reminded of the distressing reality of their situation, she could only nod in a compassionate way.   
“Of course,” she said softly. “I understand. I will make sure Chester circles the ogre in a steady way, where we will be out of reach. Is your aim good?”  
“Good enough,” he said bravely, already aiming for the ogre underneath them, who was unaware of their presence so far. “Best to get in pretty close for the first shot. If I can hit them in the eye, I might be lucky enough to get that arrow to penetrate their brain too…”   
They executed that plan to near perfection the first time, circling steadily before Rumplestiltskin shot an arrow, which caused the ogre to grunt, walk around in pain for a few more steps, before it fell to the snowy ground beneath it, dead or dying.   
The second time, the target didn’t die as easily, and they had to retreat high in the sky, for it began to throw massive snowballs towards them. It would not have immediately killed them, had they been hit by such a snowball, but it might have pushed them off of Chester or endangered them in another way. Rumplestiltskin shot at least seven arrows, and Belle began to wonder how many ogres they would be able to kill this way. She hoped they could kill enough.   
By the time they reached the front, they had killed eleven ogres, and though Belle was hopeful, Rumplestiltskin wasn’t. It was impressive to kill that many ogres in as short a time as he had, but he had had the advantage of being on Chester’s back, with Belle to steer for him.   
Rumplestiltskin directed Belle in the direction of the fortress where her father would most likely be, and as they landed in the square in the middle of it, some of the guards sounded a bell, causing all the knights inside to run out and witness how Rumplestiltskin helped the princess off the massive griffin, their hands still linked when the king stepped out.   
“Belle!” he cried out happily, and Belle’s heart jumped at the sound of his voice.   
“Father!”   
She let go of Rumplestiltskin as she rushed towards him and hugged him.   
“Father, we have so much to tell you!” she said eagerly.  
“Tell me who did this to you, Belle,” her father urged her, but she immediately shook her head.   
“That is not what is important,” she replied, her voice steadfast as she looked at the knights around her as well. “Petty vengeance is not what we should focus on. What is important, is that we discovered where these ogres were actually coming from – and we stopped them – for now. The ogres we’re fighting right now, might be the last ones we’ll fight this winter, and hopefully the last we’ll fight in this lifetime.”  
The knights could not believe what they were hearing, but they did not want to call the princess a liar either, and Maurice looked at Rumplestiltskin for confirmation.  
“It is true, Your Majesty,” Rumplestiltskin said. “It’s quite a long story, but it’s been Queen Regina’s magic that has summoned these ogres each and every night. With the source of the magic destroyed for now, she won’t be able to summon new ogres for a while. But we can’t sit here and wait for Regina to come up with a new plan. We need to put her out of power and take her down too, if we wish to have some well-deserved peace.”  
Maurice found it all hard to believe, but he wanted to.   
“Come inside,” he urged them both. “Come and tell me everything! If this is true, it would be terrific news!”  
As Belle stepped towards her father, Rumplestiltskin took a step back, clutching his sword a little tighter.   
“If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty, I need to return to the front.”  
Maurice frowned.   
“I need you to tell me what happened,” Maurice bickered.  
“I need to win Belle’s hand,” Rumplestiltskin insisted stubbornly. “And sitting inside while the other men fight the last ogres isn’t going to help me win it.”  
Maurice wanted to protest, but Rumplestiltskin did something which was uncharacteristically rude for him: he turned his back on the king and mounted Chester again. He only cast a glance at Belle before he left again, and Belle smiled.   
She was proud of him – glad to have him fight for her happiness.   
The King was perplexed, muttering to himself how disrespectful that was, but Belle put her hand on his.   
“It’s alright, father. I know everything Rumplestiltskin knows. I’ll tell you exactly what happened.”

As Rumplestiltskin returned to the front, Jefferson and Victor were among the first to see him, and as Rumplestiltskin quickly told them what had happened, they realized Rumplestiltskin was there to win Belle’s hand in marriage more than anything.  
They spread the word, and soon all the nearby soldiers were aiding him in his quest.   
“Sir Rumplestiltskin! This one is almost dead!”  
“Sir Rumplestiltskin, come quickly so you can claim this one too!”  
Rumplestiltskin felt like he hardly had to do any fighting – he was delivering killing blows to ogres that were almost completely dead already. But it helped him greatly, and as the night was ending, he was beginning to hope that perhaps it would be enough to win Belle’s hand.   
As the ogres tried to retreat in the morning, like they did each day the moment the sun came up, the knights did not let them retreat though. They chased them – Rumplestiltskin on top of Chester – and they killed more of them that way, until no living Ogre could be seen anywhere.   
Rumplestiltskin flew on Chester to the other forts at the front, realizing that messenger boys had spread the news, and nearly all ogres were being chased relentlessly by the brave men who had fought so long against them. The end was in sight, and if they could help it, there would not be another night of fighting.   
By the early afternoon, Rumplestiltskin was back in the barracks, encountering men in the corridors that were celebrating the end of the war, cheering whenever they saw him, patting him on the back and trying to push pints of beer into his hands. At some point, he was lifted into the air and carried through the courtyard by his comrades, all of whom were too overjoyed to actually see that he just wanted to get a bit of sleep. He was quite exhausted from the adventures of the last nights.   
By the time he finally managed to get into his old room, he fell asleep nearly instantly, not bothered by the sounds in the hall, and not hearing when Victor and Jefferson entered the room, looking for him. Seeing how he had fallen asleep with his clothes still on, they helped him out of his boots and put a blanket over him, lighting the small fireplace to make it a little warmer.   
They let him sleep for another hour or so, but eventually woke him by gently shaking his shoulder.   
“Rumplestiltskin,” Jefferson said quietly. “You need to get up. We need to leave and head to the king’s fortress. There’s going to be a speech.”  
Rumplestiltskin grunted as he rubbed his eyes. Remembering something, he suddenly pulled Grace’s letter from inside his jacket and offered it to Jefferson.  
The Mad Hatter grinned, immediately knowing who it was from. He too had seen Chester, and he had figured that Rumplestiltskin had seen his daughter, but as they had to focus on the ogres first, he had not dared to ask about it.   
He sat down in his chair with the letter though, opening it without hesitation.   
“Do you think you will win Belle’s hand tonight?” Victor asked carefully. “You added a lot of dead ogres to your name today.”  
Rumplestiltskin sighed. He honestly did not know. He had not dared to compare himself to the others, afraid to learn he was not going to make it.   
“I hope so,” he said softly, and as Victor remained quiet, the doctor crossed his fingers. He hoped so too.

While the other knights rode on horseback to the king’s fortress, Rumplestiltskin flew on Chester’s back, hearing knights cheer as he passed overhead, trying not to let all the praise get to his head.  
That wasn’t too hard, considering the fact that he was still consumed by fear that he had not won Belle’s hand. He could not enjoy all the praise while he feared he would lose the love of his life to another man, even after fighting as hard as he could have.   
As Rumplestiltskin entered the courtyard, he was encouraged by many knights to head up to the stage on which king Maurice was already waiting. Belle wasn’t present yet, but as Rumplestiltskin slowly made his way there, the princess finally arrived, looking anxious more than anything else.   
So it was certain then: this was the moment king Maurice would announce who had won his daughter’s hand.  
As Rumplestiltskin was pushed to the front of the crowd, he noticed he was in the company of some of the finest knights in all the realms. Prince Charming was there, as was Gaston, the tallest and widest of them all – his physique so impressive that Rumplestiltskin felt like a dwarf besides him.   
Upon spotting Rumplestiltskin, the king raised his hands, and the knights in the crowd grew quiet again, listening attentively to what he had to say.   
As Rumplestiltskin caught Belle’s eye in that moment, he noticed how frightened she looked, and he was terrified that she knew more than he did – and that he had not been able to win her hand.   
“Thank you all for coming – thank you all for fighting! I cannot express how grateful I am that this war has come to a faster end than anyone would have expected! We certainly have Sir Rumplestiltskin to thank for that!”   
The crowd cheered, and Rumplestiltskin felt a few men pat his back, but as he looked at Belle, he saw her gaze still, and she wasn’t happy like her father was. He felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.   
“Though it was very close, only one knight managed to kill more ogres than any of the others! Only one knight has won my daughter’s hand – but we feel like there are three knights that fought so bravely that they deserve a lot of credit. In third place, we find… Prince Charming!”  
The crowd cheered again, and prince Charming beamed proudly, grateful for the mention, and Rumplestiltskin gulped now. Belle hardly dared to look at him now. He couldn’t be first place – could he? No, she wouldn’t look so down then.   
“In second place – only ten ogres less than our number one… we have… Sir Rumplestiltskin!”   
The crowd cheered again, though some knights seemed to be uncertain, not liking this outcome, and Rumplestiltskin felt his heart stop in that moment – not registering the sounds all around him, not registering anything at all besides his own slow heartbeat and the horrible sensation that he would not be marrying Belle.   
“And in first place… The winner of my daughter’s hand… Sir Gaston!”   
The crowd cheered for the brave knight, but Rumplestiltskin suddenly remembered something, and he took a step closer to the stage as he said: “But… but I killed eleven more ogres when I flew on the griffin’s back towards the front last night!”  
He hopefully looked at Belle, but from the tears in her eyes, he realized it made no difference.   
King Maurice had heard, and hesitated for a moment as he saw Rumplestiltskin’s fallen expression.   
“I’m sorry,” king Maurice said softly. “Belle told us already. We added those numbers to your count, but it wasn’t enough. If it makes you feel better, you do hold the record for most kills in one day now.”   
It did not make Rumplestiltskin feel better at all. Instead, it was like rubbing salt in a festering wound.  
Belle was crying, and Rumplestiltskin had tears in his eyes as well. In the meanwhile, Gaston was raising his arms, enjoying the cries of support from the men that had fought with him. He was celebrating, but as the princess was unable to hide her tears, more men noticed, and as the rumor spread that the princess wasn’t happy at all, more men grew quiet, until there was no one left cheering, and even the King realized this was far from the joyous moment he had wanted it to be.   
“Excuse me!”   
The crowd turned as they heard a voice from the center of the courtyard, where Jefferson and Victor Frankenstein were standing. It was Jefferson who had called out.   
“Pardon me, but… From what I heard, Sir Rumplestiltskin was responsible for stopping this war. He said that he found a cauldron that was filled with a potion of which each drop would have summoned an ogre if he had not destroyed it. Does that not mean, that by destroying that potion, Rumplestiltskin has killed an immeasurable amount of ogres? Does that not make him the winner?”   
The King turned pink in the face, and the crowd was silent as they waited for the king to reply. Belle had stopped crying for now, though her face was still wet with tears, and she hopefully looked up at her father, hoping that these soldiers would be able to convince him of what she had been unable to.   
“I am afraid not,” the King said in a rough tone. “The rules were rather clear, I thought.”   
“I killed eleven ogres this war,” Frankenstein suddenly said, his voice booming over the courtyard as he tried to make himself heard by all. “I wish to add my count to that of Sir Rumplestiltskin, believing that he has not only proven himself to be a brave and intelligent leader and thus an excellent match for the princess, but also to be the most caring of her of all of us. When your daughter was taken, he was the one that volunteered for the rescue mission. Even when he knew it would significantly hurt his chances to win her hand, he put her safety first. Is that not admirable?”  
“Of course it is admirable,” king Maurice bit back, rather bothered by this argument. “But rules are rules – and Gaston won fairly.”   
“And your daughter is crying,” Jefferson shouted from where he stood. “You’re not giving away property or a prized horse, you’re giving away a human being with her own heart and desires. Does she have no say in the matter? Not even when she has proven herself just as brave as Rumplestiltskin by accompanying him to fight the source of the Ogres?”   
“That’s enough! What gives you the right!” king Maurice snapped.  
The king had not counted on that to strike a nerve with Jefferson, whose face turned red as he shouted back: “I have a daughter too! But I would rather die than take her freedom away as brutally as you do to yours!”  
Maurice would hear it no longer. “If you would rather die, that can be arranged!”  
Before the King could summon his guards or utter a death sentence, Rumplestiltskin had climbed on the stage and had run over to the King, taking his hands to distract him from giving an order that would kill his comrade.   
“Please, King Maurice,” Rumplestiltskin begged softly. “Forgive him. I may not have won Belle’s hand, but I do not want my friends to die for standing up for me either. Please do not punish me or them in this way.”   
Rumplestiltskin’s sensible tone calmed the King though, and he did not give a further order.   
“Alright…” he muttered. “I will let it slip. For once.”  
Belle was crying again though. The hope she had had for a brief moment, that the words of Rumplestiltskin’s comrades could change her father’s mind, was now gone again, and she found that she was unwilling to accept her father’s decision.   
She had been so willing at first – to do what she could for the war – to wed whoever defeated most ogres – but in her eyes, the victor of this war was Rumplestiltskin. He was the one that deserved her. He was the only one she wanted.   
Unable to contain her emotions and unwilling to accept her fate, she suddenly stood up and ran off the stage, heading towards the corridors, while all men stepped out of the way so she could pass. Maurice gulped, and Gaston looked a little irritated as he climbed on stage as well.   
“I can still marry her, right?” he asked, just checking to be sure.   
Rumplestiltskin frowned, wondering how any man would be willing to put Belle through so much grief – but he was now facing two of such men, and he could only feel terribly sorry for Belle. Perhaps it was his own fault she now felt this way. He should have kept his distance from her, then this artificial arrangement would have been easier on her.   
“The princess!” the men in the crowd suddenly started shouting, pointing up to one of the towers of the fort, where Belle was climbing into a windowsill.   
Rumplestiltskin felt his heart sink to his stomach. She wasn’t going to kill herself over this, was she? He would have never seen that coming!  
As she jumped, he, along with many other men, shouted as loudly as they could. Their hearts stopped in their throats for a moment, only to feel a sense of relief when she landed on Chester, who had flown up to meet her, and who took her away straight after, neither of them bothering to look back at the men who had tried to force her into a life she did not want.   
Rumplestiltskin felt a sense of relief, strangely enough. She wasn’t done fighting just yet. She wasn’t going to accept the fate her father had planned for her so easily, and he felt proud of her.   
“Where is she going?!” Gaston demanded to know, stomping his boot on the floor in frustration. “She can’t do this!”   
Now King Maurice was frustrated – not just with Belle, with Gaston too. “She just did,” he replied bitterly.   
“But…” Gaston tried to protest, but Maurice was quick to cut him off.   
“Suck it up, sir Gaston. Like the other knights said, she is a human being, not a dog who I – or you – can control or summon at will.”  
King Maurice stormed off the stage as well, only to be followed by some of his most trusted advisors.   
Rumplestiltskin looked after him, only to notice Gaston’s eyes on him a moment later. The tall knight looked like he was ready to kill, and Rumplestiltskin gulped. Only then did Gaston step away, angrily pushing knights out of his way as he returned to his barracks, not willing to face the ridicule of men now the princess had chosen to escape over marrying him. It was a bitter pill that his ego was unwilling to take. 

“Do you think she is in the mountains again? With Grace?” Jefferson wondered later that night, sitting next to Rumplestiltskin on his bed, both of them staring into the flames while Victor had already fallen asleep.   
Rumplestiltskin shrugged. “Why would she go there? It’s the first place her father will look for her.”  
“Perhaps she would go there and restock on supplies first? Make sure Chester is well and that she has enough food on her to survive? And then before any knights could make it there, she’d be off again.”  
“Makes sense,” Rumplestiltskin said softly, worried about her. “I just hope she’s safe and warm now. It’s still so very cold outside.”  
“Rumor has it that we’re going to relocate the barracks closer to the Evil Queen’s kingdom – that we’re going to take our war to that border,” Jefferson continued, and Rumplestiltskin remained quiet as he assumed that was the truth as well.   
The Mad Hatter played with his hat in his hands. “I don’t want to keep on fighting without end though. I want to be with Grace. I miss her.”   
“If only life would be that simple…” Rumplestiltskin sighed. “I know where I’d be…”   
He’d go back to the one place he had truly been happy, if only for a night. He’d go back to the caves, with Belle.   
He suddenly froze as he realized where he could find her, and as he got up from the bed, Jefferson looked at him in surprise.   
“Where are you going?”  
Rumplestiltskin didn’t say a word though, instead he rushed out of the room, leaving Jefferson utterly confused.   
“Good luck, I guess?” he muttered, then he moved to his own bed, laying down as he figured it was way past his bedtime anyway. 

As Rumplestiltskin prepared one of the fastest horses in the stables for his travels, he startled when he heard someone cough behind him.   
Turning around, he saw it was none other than the King who was standing there, and this surprised Rumplestiltskin more than anything. These barracks weren’t home to the king – in fact, they were quite far away from the king’s fortress.   
“King Maurice,” Rumplestiltskin acknowledged him in surprise, bowing his head respectfully. “What are you doing here?”   
“I might ask you the same, Sir Rumplestiltskin. Where were you going?”  
“To find Belle,” he replied honestly. “I can’t sit here and wait. She might never return.”  
“You would return her to me?” King Maurice wondered. “To me, and to Sir Gaston?”  
This was the moment that Rumplestiltskin hesitated.   
“I don’t know, sir,” he answered honestly. “I would try to make her happy. I don’t think she’d be happy marrying Gaston.”  
The king sighed, leaning against one of the pens as he folded his arms in front of his chest, staring at Rumplestiltskin in the dim light of a distant torch.  
“You must think of me as a horrible father,” king Maurice continued. “To be honest, I feel like a horrible father.”  
Rumplestiltskin remained quiet, lacking the courage to agree, and not being enough of a slime ball to willingly disagree.  
“I thought Gaston would be a good match,” the king continued. “He’s tall, handsome, very brave… He reminded me a bit of me. You, on the other hand... I don’t feel like we’re alike at all.”  
Rumplestiltskin wasn’t insulted by that statement – nor was it meant as an insult from King Maurice’s behalf.   
“You are intelligent though, just as brave, and in just your first year in this war, you did what no other man thought to do. You went to the source of the problem – and you fixed this entire mess in one single night. It is not right to leave you without a reward – but to me it felt wrong to give Belle’s hand to you. I was clear when I stated the rules for marrying Belle – the one that killed most Ogres would marry her. That wasn’t you. Even if what you did will have far greater effects than what Gaston did.”   
Those words still didn’t make Rumplestiltskin feel better. He knew his worth – he knew that what he had done was amazing – but it did not matter if he could not make Belle happy.  
“I have treated my daughter’s life like it was a prize to be won though, and I regret that now. I fear I have lost her trust and love forever.”  
Once again, Rumplestiltskin did not disagree with the King.   
“Your silence tells me enough,” the King said with a smirk. “You judge me just as harshly for my actions as Belle would do. You fit her well like that. It surprises me how well the two of you click. I realize now that she has lost her heart to you – and that she will not settle for less than you. I just don’t know how to make this right.”  
Rumplestiltskin turned to look at the King, wondering if the man was truly admitting to being wrong – and also admitting to wanting Belle to have her own say in who she married. He seemed sincere, and the King continued.   
“But I will make this right, Sir Rumplestiltskin. I will meet with my advisors on this tomorrow. If you could bring Belle back to us… Then I hope to win back her affection myself, by giving her the freedom she deserves.”  
Rumplestiltskin smiled, a genuine and grateful smile.   
“Thank you,” he said gently. “I will bring her back as soon as I can. Though I care deeply for Belle, and I want her to be happy, we must continue with this war as soon as we can. Every moment we lose on this little drama, the Evil Queen grows stronger.”  
Maurice chuckled. “Spoken like a true King… I think you would make a great one, Sir Rumplestiltskin. Now go… Find my daughter. It’s about time we made things right.”


	11. Happiness

Rumplestiltskin travelled towards the caves as quickly as he could, noticing at several places that he wasn’t the only one out in the forests, looking for the princess. Now that the war was almost over, nearly every knight with a desire to climb up in the ranks was looking for her.   
Those that saw him though, all wished him the best of luck finding his princess, and it was no secret to anyone that Rumplestiltskin wished to marry her – despite the fact that Gaston had won the actual competition.  
As he approached the caves, he grew a little nervous. If she wasn’t there, then he honestly had no idea where to look for her. But even then, he would not give up on his quest. He would continue to look for her until the day he died, if that was what was required.   
Luckily for him, he found Belle sitting opposite the campfire where they had slept a few nights before, and as she saw him, she immediately got up and ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck as she hugged him, tears in her eyes.   
“You came,” she said sadly. “I’m so sorry for everything… I couldn’t go through with it… I couldn’t marry Gaston. I only want you.”  
He embraced her tighter at those words, the distress in her voice only making his anger grow. Even if he knew she would not be forced now, he was angry at the men who had decided to make his Belle so afraid of her own future.   
“It’s going to be alright,” he spoke warmly, pulling back from her so he could look her in the eye, offering her a reassuring smile. “I spoke with your father. He is going to undo the promise to Gaston. You won’t have to marry him. He is going to give you your own freedom once you return.”  
Belle could hardly believe what she was hearing and her mouth dropped slightly.   
“Really?” She found it hard to believe, but she wanted to.   
Rumplestiltskin lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Really. Who knows… you might even be allowed to marry me?”  
His voice was a little playful, and she shrieked happily for a moment before she kissed him, her hands in his neck as she pulled him closer to her again, her hands soon roaming over his back, leaving no desire unexpressed between them.   
He could not resist her taste and kissed her back eagerly, startling when his excited little princess suddenly rubbed the front of his pants, trying to excite him even further.   
In an instinct, he took a step backward though, raising his hands in defense.   
“Princess, let’s not be too hasty…”  
“Why not?” she asked innocently and a little bit confused. “We’re together again – and if all goes well, we can marry soon… And these are the caves? I thought we wanted to stay in these forever? To give into desires and such?”  
He gulped, realizing how much he wanted to stay in these caves and ravish her, but as a knight, he had other responsibilities.   
“Sweetheart,” he gently called her. “I do wish to give into my desires, but I also want to make things right. I want to do us right… I don’t want to go behind your father’s back again… If he knew how far we have already taken things, he would not approve… Let us not displease him any further. Let us just go back, see what the future has in store for us… Can we do that?”  
Belle’s expression only fell for a moment, but at the same time she was also proud of him.   
“Yes,” she said softly. “I’m sorry for coming onto you so strongly… I knew you would find me here… I just wanted to relive the best night of my life with you. But I had not considered the possibility that my father would not force me to marry Gaston. I was too eager. My apologies.”  
He chuckled. “No need to apologize, my sweet Belle. If anything, I’m flattered. And excited. But let us wait. Let us return to your father too. Isn’t Chester nearby?”  
Belle shook her head. “No, I let him drop me off, then sent him back to the other griffins. I knew you’d come.”   
He was baffled by her faith in him, and gratefully took her hand. “Then come with me… Let’s return to your father. It’s time we make this all right.”

And they made it right indeed. King Maurice was happy to see his Belle returned to him, and allowed her to pick her own husband if she wanted to marry, and Belle immediately chose Rumplestiltskin, who was all too eager to accept.   
Gaston had not been willing to give up on Belle so easily, but the King’s advisors, as well as the Kings of other realms, had sat together to come up with a decent alternative to the stubborn knight. Gaston was to marry the second daughter of king Midas – which in turn would make him the leader of one of king Midas’s provinces – one that was particularly renowned for its hunting grounds, and that did win Gaston over. Not to mention that the princess he was to marry was beautiful by all accounts, and a massive fan of hunts as well. And so Gaston even began to consider that she would be a better match for him than Belle, and thus it did not take him too long to accept this ‘other’ reward.  
The wedding between Belle and Rumplestiltskin was planned for after the war with the Evil Queen, which surprisingly proved to be far less magical in nature than the one against the Ogres. The Evil Queen let the men of her country fight for her, but those men were cowards, often underfed and terrified of the experienced army that came to their lands. Not many men needed to die, as a majority was willing to surrender.   
While King Maurice and Rumplestiltskin pushed back the last of the Queen’s men, Belle remained at her old castle, preparing for the wedding. It was already decided that Rumplestiltskin would live with them in the castle, and they would both get an entire wing to themselves. While Belle prepared their future bedroom, she also wondered which rooms would be best for their children, and she could already see her little family growing older in the beautiful castle.   
Both Maurice and Rumplestiltskin were pleased with how fast the war was going, and only a little over a month after it had begun, the Queen had fled the palace, and the old princess Snow White returned to claim the throne and restore her kingdom to its former glory. Prince Charming remained by her side, and Rumplestiltskin was glad to see that the prince had found his own Belle to marry.  
Three days after the end of the war, Belle and Rumplestiltskin were married in the small chapel on the castle grounds, only their closest friends and family attending the ceremony. There was a small tour in a carriage around the capital, where they waved at the people as they all celebrated this national holiday, and Rumplestiltskin had to admit that he sometimes forgot to wave whenever he caught the sight of his beautiful Belle in his eye.   
She was simply so beautiful and kind, and he constantly considered himself the luckiest man on the face of the planet.   
Later that evening, they enjoyed a wonderful meal, after which they retreated to the privacy of their bedroom.   
“How does it feel?” Belle wondered as she wrapped her arms around him once they were inside, looking up at him with a happy expression. “To be a prince?”  
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “It feels nice – but not as nice as it is to be your husband. I can’t wait to be with you for the rest of my life, to share my deepest desires and thoughts with you, to have you become the better part of myself…”  
Belle swooned against him at those wonderful words, and he loved to see how it pleased her to hear him say that.   
“Your honesty has always been alluring to me,” she said softly, her arms still wrapped around his waist. “But I feel I haven’t been completely honest with you… I’ve been hiding something.”  
She sounded a little secretive, but Rumplestiltskin immediately frowned, afraid something was wrong.   
Her gaze was gentle though, and as she took his hands in hers, she slowly placed them on top of her stomach, and he looked at her in confusion.   
She did not say anything though, and as his hands ghosted over her stomach, it suddenly dawned on him.   
“You’re pregnant?” he whispered, his eyes wide as he could hardly believe it.   
She nodded happily, tears coming to her eyes as she admitted it, and his smile grew wider than she had ever seen.   
“Really?” he asked again. “From… from back in the caves?!”  
He truly could not believe it. Just one night had done it – and they hadn’t even spent their wedding night together.  
“I noticed my period was late,” she explained. “And I’ve been feeling a little sick in the mornings… And my corsets are getting tighter by the day…”  
As she mentioned the word corset, Rumplestiltskin began to undo hers, loosening the ribbons at her back before he undid the hooks at her front, dropping her corset to the side before he put his hand on her stomach again, feeling its warmth through the thin fabric of her wedding dress.   
He had tears of joy in his eyes as he looked down between them, and he only looked up at her when she put her fingertips on his cheeks, her loving gaze bringing him back to the here and now.   
“We’re going to have a family,” she whispered, and those words broke him completely. He started sobbing as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, happier than he had ever been before.  
They hugged for a long time, crying tears of joy, before Rumplestiltskin carried her to the bed, laying her down as gently as possible before he crawled onto the bed besides her.   
While he had looked forward to this night as a night of pleasure, he now only wanted to look into her eyes and hear her talk about their child, and she was happy to do just that. They talked of their own childhoods, of growing up the way they had, and of keeping this news quiet for another few months – especially considering the fact that no one besides them knew what had happened in the caves. To the rest of the world, it had to seem like the child was conceived tonight, but they would always know better.   
It was already very late when they were done talking and continued their time kissing and embracing each other instead. It was even more loving than they had both expected it to be. As he undressed her, he was even gentler than before, and he spent great deal of time bestowing kisses upon her stomach. He also insisted upon undressing himself, saying that she needed to rest.   
Belle laughed at that. “Rumple, I’m only over a month pregnant… I assure you that I can still do everything I could do before…”  
She bit her lip as she watched his shirt and breeches come off though, and he happily put all their clothes to the side before he leaned over her, never leaning his full weight on her as he gave her sweet kisses in her neck and face.  
Giggling, she pulled him closer, hugging him tight as she turned him around so she was on top.   
“Silly sweetheart,” she teased him. “Let me do a bit of work as well. I have waited so long for this war to end so we could be together. Let me at least show you the things I have wanted to do to you in your absence.”  
He curiously laid back, only to gasp when she reached out for his erect member and started teasing him with small jerks. The teasing only grew more pleasurable when she crawled down between his legs and started licking and kissing him there. He closed his eyes in enjoyment for a good while before she made her way up again, straddling him with her legs as she guided him inside.   
She was slow and gentle, and the last thing he wanted to do was go fast or cause her the slightest discomfort, but there was no need for that. He was just as eager to experience her in this way, and despite the relative slowness of their rocking hips, he was soon gasping and begging for more.   
She was the first to come that way, and he sat up a bit as she came undone, wrapping her in his arms as he kissed her lips and cheeks and every bit of skin within his reach, and she had never looked more pleased.  
“I love you so much,” she whispered, completely spent in his arms as he lay her down and came with a few more delicate and careful thrusts. He was careful not to crush his entire weight on top of her and rolled to the side when he was done, and she chuckled as she realized he was treating her as though she was made of porcelain.   
Propping herself up on her elbow, she looked at him with a wide grin on her face, and he grinned in return, exhausted now.   
“I love you too,” he muttered, looking for her hand and bringing it to his lips, looking into her eyes as he kissed it.   
She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he hugged her in return. There was nothing but happiness and love in the air between them, and if they had their way, that would never change. They were committed to a life of affection and kindness, and they wouldn’t ever give the other a chance to forget that. 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and leaving Kudos and comments on this story! May I ask something of all of you? If you have read this far, could you tell me your age and where you are from? I am very curious about where my readers are from and how old they are. If you do not wish to share that, you don't need to comment or you could just tell me something else that you liked (or didn't like) about the story! Thanks so much again for reading!


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